About Maxine Frankel
I have always been a powerful dreamer. Dreams, and the memories they evoke, are both important drivers of my work. My dreams are vivid and complex, a reflection of my inner world. To remember the aspects of my dreams that interest and excite me, I keep a pad next to my bed so I can make sketches as soon as I wake up. These dream sketches become the basis of my paintings.
As I paint, I experience surprises and revelations that always exceed my expectations. I constantly learn and realign my painting practice towards an often unexpected but logical conclusion. For me, the joy of painting is the fiery romance between passion and the struggle with the unknown.
As I paint, I experience surprises and revelations that always exceed my expectations. I constantly learn and realign my painting practice towards an often unexpected but logical conclusion. For me, the joy of painting is the fiery romance between passion and the struggle with the unknown.
Maxine made her first creative work when she was a freshman at Southern Illinois University. An introductory sociology course which she was taking had a required term paper. Maxine asked her professor if, in place of the paper, she would be allowed to turn in a work of art which reflected the concepts that she wanted to express. Her professor agreed, and Maxine made a “Light Box”. She received an excellent grade for the project, and the professor encouraged her to pursue art as her major.
From that point on, art became central to Maxine’s personal, educational and professional life. She earned a degree in art education and went on to teach art in Chicago Public Schools for many years. Through Maxine’s initiative and her enthusiastic approach to teaching, her students learned to appreciate great works of art and the people who create them. Field trips to local art museums were an important part of her curriculum.
When, due to unfortunate budget cuts, many art teaching positions in Chicago were eliminated, Maxine returned to school, earning a master’s degree in Special Education, and she became a high school Special Education math teacher. As a Special Education teacher, she incorporated her artists’ creativity with her educator’s expertise, engaging students in “hand-on” projects that enabled children with learning disabilities to understand mathematical concepts.
During summer breaks, Maxine frequently took painting and ceramics classes at the Evanston Art Center and the North Shore Art League. At the Evanston Art Center, she became seriously interested in abstract painting, drawing influence from the surrealist Eleanor Spiess-Ferris and abstract painter Janet Trierweiler. Upon her retirement, Maxine dived into painting full-time, eventually studying at the Art Students League of New York under renowned abstract painters including Bruce Dorfman, Jill Nathanson, Pat Lipsky, Peter Bonner and Frank (Stanley) O’Cain.
Maxine’s work has been exhibited at the Evanston Art Center,The North Shore Art League, the Art Students League of New York, the Bridgeport Art Center and the Beverly Art Center. She has two pieces at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago.
From that point on, art became central to Maxine’s personal, educational and professional life. She earned a degree in art education and went on to teach art in Chicago Public Schools for many years. Through Maxine’s initiative and her enthusiastic approach to teaching, her students learned to appreciate great works of art and the people who create them. Field trips to local art museums were an important part of her curriculum.
When, due to unfortunate budget cuts, many art teaching positions in Chicago were eliminated, Maxine returned to school, earning a master’s degree in Special Education, and she became a high school Special Education math teacher. As a Special Education teacher, she incorporated her artists’ creativity with her educator’s expertise, engaging students in “hand-on” projects that enabled children with learning disabilities to understand mathematical concepts.
During summer breaks, Maxine frequently took painting and ceramics classes at the Evanston Art Center and the North Shore Art League. At the Evanston Art Center, she became seriously interested in abstract painting, drawing influence from the surrealist Eleanor Spiess-Ferris and abstract painter Janet Trierweiler. Upon her retirement, Maxine dived into painting full-time, eventually studying at the Art Students League of New York under renowned abstract painters including Bruce Dorfman, Jill Nathanson, Pat Lipsky, Peter Bonner and Frank (Stanley) O’Cain.
Maxine’s work has been exhibited at the Evanston Art Center,The North Shore Art League, the Art Students League of New York, the Bridgeport Art Center and the Beverly Art Center. She has two pieces at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago.
Select Exhibitions
2020 "Students Exhibition" Honorable Mention Award, The Art Students League of New York, New York
2019 “Abstraction Show” North Shore Art League, Wilmette, IL
2019 “Variations” Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL
2018 “Chicago: INsideOUT”, Bridgeport Art Center, Chicago, IL
2018 “Nevertheless She Persisted: Women of Courage, Tenacity, and Strength” Oakton Community College, Des Plaines, IL
2018 “Studio Exhibition” Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL
2017 “#Naked Truth” Chicago Women Caucus for Art, Woodstock, IL
2017 “Chicago Alliance of Visual Artists: 2017 Members Show” Beverly Arts Center, Chicago,IL
2017 “Water” North Shore Art League, Winnetka, IL
Education
B.F.A. Art Education, Southern Illinois University, Illinois
Arts Students League, New York, New York
Selected Collections
Shirley Ryan Activity Lab, Chicago, IL
Tina Harber, Chicago, IL