Frank Rowland

ROWLAND WINSTON-SALEM Frank Rowland Sept. 25, 1927 - Dec. 10, 2012 Internationally renowned artist and beloved mentor Frank Rowland died December 10, 2012 of complications resulting from strokes. He was 85. Born in Altoona, Pennsylvania on September 25, 1927, Frank's love for art began as a child when he accompanied his father, an amateur landscape artist, to classes at night. He later studied at the School of Art in Pittsburgh and the American Academy of Art and the Academic Art Foundation, both in Chicago. He called home to cities across the U.S., including Pittsburgh, Phoenix, Chicago, and most recently Winston-Salem. During his career, Frank applied his creative energies to a wide variety of endeavors, all of which reflected his passion for art. Multi-talented and sharp, he mastered every form of art he undertook. Over the decades he made a name for himself both nationally and internationally. Even when the economy refused to cooperate, he made a career doing what he loved. A native of Altoona, Pennsylvania, his interest in art began when as a child, he accompanied his father, an amateur landscape artist, to classes at night. He later studied at the School of Art in Pittsburgh, the American Academy of Art (Chicago), and the Academic Art Foundation (Chicago). Among Rowland's accomplished works are oils and watercolors, sketches, prints, photographs, murals and sculptures. He spent the last years of his life working with oils and is perhaps best known for his landscapes and abstracts. Over the course of his career, he also designed sets for film and stage and lent his talents to architectural and industrial design, illustration, animation, museum exhibits, and book design. In addition, his talent as a master printer is widely recognized in the field of art serigraphy. Frank has been featured in one-man shows in New York, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Chicago, and Paris. He has also been part of group shows throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, France, Japan, Australia, and Western Europe. Rowland's artwork is included in the corporate collections of AT&T, IBM, Disney Productions, Price Waterhouse, Arthur Andersen, Playboy, Allstate, Sears Roebuck, Coldwell Banker, Crocker National Bank, Gould Inc., and many others. Although Frank has left this world, his spirit will shine eternal. He made magic. With a few bold strokes and a tube of paint, he could take a lackluster slice of land and render it paradise. He wowed onlookers every time he painted a scene, no matter how many times they'd seen him do it. And all the while he'd entertain his admirers with his signature sense of humor, his compendium of life-stories, and his bottomless "bag of painting tricks." May those who knew Frank seek such passion in their own lives and learn to challenge life without fear of failure. As he told us many times, "If you don't like what you did, paint over it. It's oil, for pete's sake." May he rest in peace with the knowledge of how much he was admired. Frank is survived by his four children Colleen, Mark, Todd, and Chad; his grandson Leo; and a plethora of other "frank-o-philes" who delighted in his talents and his verve. At this time, the family has not planned a memorial.