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Frank Carroll passed away in early 2010. Frank was an award-winning artist whose talent to paint an ever-increasing variety of subjects made his art appealing to all ages. His wife, Barbara, continues to offer his paintings and prints for sale to the public.

(right: Frank at work in Purr Cat Lane Studios)

[Read a newspaper article about Frank]

©2011 Frank J. Carroll
All images are copyrighted by the artist, and may not be reproduced or downloaded without permission.

    Note on a mermaid saying "Barbara please return model to ocean by 10 PM, Frank"
    At Winchester (MA) High School, Frank was the first student to have a solo art exhibit. From that time on, art remained a part of his life. While in the U. S. Army, Frank was named company artist in Japan and battalion artist in Korea. He specialized in a style called trompe l'oeil (pronounced trompe loy), a French phrase meaning "to trick the eye." A close examination of many of his paintings will show images spilling out onto what seems to be a frame and objects that look as if they can be plucked off the canvas (left), as well as small notes (right) to be read by the observant viewer.

    Lending to Frank's life experience was a period that he simply called his "beatnik era" as depicted in his painting, "Self-Portrait" (below left). Printed on the frame are names of famous beatniks, hobos, poets, writers, and artists such as London, Kerouac, Ferlinghetti, Orwell, Ginsberg, Dempsey, etc., and others who had experienced similar lifestyles. Along with the "beat days," Frank lived the adventurous life of a free spirit for two years traveling across the U. S. six times by hitchhiking, and occasionally riding the rails. On another trip, he and his friend Lenny put a small piano, two bunks and a guitar in the back of a 1953 International panel truck, setting out for their destination, Mexico City, where they climbed "The Pyramids of the Sun." Along the way, they earned gas and food money by doing farm work, sometimes relying on the rescue missions for food. They also panned for gold in Northern California.

    Among the artists from whom Frank drew inspiration are Norman Rockwell, Winslow Homer, Artemisia Gentileschi, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, N.C. Wyeth, Howard Pyle, Edward Hopper, and trompe l'oeil master David Brega. Although primarily self-taught, Frank was fortunate to study on occasion under Brega.

    You will still find Frank's barn studio filled to the brim with reference books, cut files, supplies, props ranging from an old whisk broom to a dried blowfish, and items retrieved from the local swap shop at the town transfer station (see top right photo).

    Frank won numerous awards for his paintings and his work has been displayed in various galleries and exhibits.

    Frank Carroll's work is represented by his wife, Barbara, of Barbara A. Carroll Enterprises. She lives in an English-style cottage filled with antique furnishings, wide pine flooring, and, of course, Frank's artwork covering the walls. Frank's barn studio is in the rear (see photo of Frank in Purr Cat Lane Studios at the top of the page).

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