Artist in Residence: Frankie Payne
Frankie Payne is a Los Angeles based artist specializing in vibrant portraiture. His works, painted entirely in acrylic, capture a range of subjects inspired by Frankie’s fascination with celebrity and charismatic faces. Most of his work is done on small format canvases and captures the dynamic essence of the subject often through vibrant colors and dramatic lighting. Each painting tells a story on its own, but the paintings, often displayed in clusters, create layered montages of expression and intrigue.
Frankie grew up in the Los Angeles harbor town of San Pedro. He was close enough to the shining allure of LA’s glamorous entertainment industry that, at an early age, he sought to immerse himself in this seductive world of beauty and cache. It was here that Frankie was inspired to launch his career as a hair stylist and would go on to build a successful career styling the trusses of many famous celebrities. But Frankie was also captivated by pop art, enthralled by other artists whose work reflected fascination with popular culture. Artists like Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Keith Haring intrigued him for their subjects, playfulness, and unapologetic uses of bright colors.
Frankie’s early works were more primitive, painting caricatured faces in blocks of color and form, which more closely drew their style inspiration from the early pop artists.
Prior to painting portraits, Frankie’s early works were more primitive, painting caricatured faces in blocks of color and form, which more closely drew their style inspiration from the early pop artists. It was during the Covid Pandemic that Frankie began exploring more articulated portraits, interpreting photographs with more lifelike attention to detail and sophisticated brushwork. Most of Frankie’s paintings are small formats, in the range of 8” x 8” or 10” x 10”, which present as little gems of expression. He has explored larger formats going as large as a 48” x 48” portrait of David Bowie, but for now prefers the intimacy of the smaller size.
Frankie works from his home studio in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles, where he often paints side by side with his husband Don Reich, guarded closely by their goofy pup Zoey. Here, his work is often on display lining the walls with a thousand eyes. Frankie has had two solo shows since the pandemic entitled “FACETIME” which were held at their home studio. An upcoming show is scheduled in Palm Springs on April 12, 2025, at Big Mike Art – Gallery & Studio. But works can be viewed in Los Angeles by appointment and any may be purchased.
Frankie’s portraits hang in homes around the world and across the country. Some celebrity portraits adorn the walls of the actual subjects. Frankie has also done custom portraits of individuals on commission, honoring family members or friends as personal commemorations.
For more Frankie Art visit https://frankiepayneart.com/
