If you put any stock in astrology, you will understand why Andrea Frank, D.O.’86, is a Gemini: She loves both the sciences and the arts, which is reflected is what she describes as her “most important job,” as a physician board-certified in internal medicine and clinical lipidology, and her “least important job,” as an artist. She is joking in part, as her two jobs represent one of her core values.
“Making the world a better place has always been my creed,” she says. One way she does so is through her art, which can be viewed on her Instagram site, “Painted Hues.” She was selected as the featured artist, during the month of December, at Chef’s Palette, an upscale restaurant in Cary, NC, that promotes the synergy between food and art. All of works the restaurant displays are on sale, with all proceeds going to the artist.
“Kathie Clark, the owner, loves art and doesn’t charge a commission of the artists,” says Jojo Campbell, the marketing manager and artist/music coordinator for Chef’s Palette. “Her contribution to the community is to give local artists a place to display their art.”
In a write-up about Dr. Frank on its website, the restaurant states that she “strives for realism with an impressionistic touch…the colors and shapes of Vincent Van Gogh and the architectural style of Edward Hopper” are among her inspirations.
“I’m also inspired by the beauty of North Carolina,” she says, which is evident in her works. “Every time you turn a corner, there’s something new and beautiful to look at.”
Dr. Frank’s love of the arts was sparked by her father, a food technologist who took art classes at night, often with his daughter in tow. She put artistic pursuits on hold as a zoology major at the University of Maine. After working as a phlebotomist in a hospital laboratory, she completed her medical degree at DMU and then had her own practice in New Jersey for more than 25 years. She sold the practice and moved with her husband, Alan, to the Tampa, FL, area, where she practiced as a locums physician and took art classes.
The couple eventually decided to seek a cooler clime in the Cary area, where she is active in the art community. Now working part-time in telemedicine, she takes art classes and is an instructor of a medium called “fluid art,” a type of pour painting.
While Dr. Frank has worked with charcoals, pastels and batiks, she recently has focused on “plein air painting,” which is the French term for “painting outdoors.”
“Painting distracts me from the current political climate and health crisis,” she stated on the Chef’s Palette website. “I can spend hours creating a warm and calming feeling on canvas. My hope is that when people see one of my paintings, they will want to be transported inside that image to relax in the moment.”
