From the strength and solidity of the mighty oak to the frothy blossom of a flowering cherry in full bloom, Jack Frame’s exquisite tree paintings represent a search for proportion, balance and tonal harmony within nature. By taking his subjects out of context and placing them in the centre of a simple, elemental space, he invites us to explore the iconography of the tree in all its beauty, and to find solace in the timeless patterns of the natural world.

Frame favours painting en plein air (out on location) over working entirely in a studio, preferring each composition to be a first-hand record of time spent contemplating his subject. This gives his work an authenticity and, for the artist himself, a strong sense of time and place which has become hugely important to him. It is through this dialogue with place that he can capture his vision and transform it into an image; painting, he says, offers him a chance “to be present, to be a part of the world.”

Stylistically Frame is influenced by countless artists and aesthetics, from Bosch to Constable, from medieval painting to Japanese screen printing, and these combine with his insatiable interest in the arts, philosophy, poetry and theology to bring a depth of intention and an almost romantic refinement to his work. Working mainly in a combination of oils and acrylics over a background of metal leaf, he builds each piece into a vivid textural display, with depth and spontaneity. He regularly engages with old artisan processes such as gilding, enameling and marbling - these fascinating combinations give an array of finishes and a striking intensity of colour reminiscent of Chinese and Japanese silk painting and drawing.

Biography and work by Jack Frame