Tell us a little bit about your label (art) and what you do?
I aim to highlight layers of history and celebrate our built environment. I studied architecture after leaving school and it gave me an appreciation for all kinds of spaces and design in general. I want to show others my way of seeing things and pass on some information about the history surrounding us.
What inspires your work?
My main inspiration mostly comes from the historic built environment. I love industrial buildings – they have a real purpose without the frills…what needs to be there is there for good reason and they have good bones. Unfortunately/fortunately it is these buildings that often find themselves without a use as technology progresses and they start to fall into disrepair until an appropriate new use can be made financially viable. Note: My thesis was on adaptive reuse in Australia.
What jobs have you done other than being an artist?
I started off in retail, then architecture and hospitality. The thing I love about hospitality is the broad range of people you meet – you don’t get that in many jobs.
What memorable responses have you had to your work?
An Irish woman who had also finished her two years in Australia with her family, contacted me through my website about a custom project. I visited her at her renovated Queenslander and we got along like a house on fire. She invited me back a month later with other friends to a felting link night to produce links for a project to remember her time in Brisbane. I went along and was overwhelmed by her hospitality and conversations with her beautiful friends. In that group of about 10 women, three of them had my work in various forms in their houses – I was a little overwhelmed and excited at the same time. One lady bought a bookmark for a friend overseas and decided against giving it to him and kept it to herself…she had only been looking at it the previous night, before she shut her book to go to sleep.
One thing you can’t live without?
I can’t live without projects! I always seem to have something on the go.
What gets you up in the morning?
My list of things to do! I love the morning – it’s the best time of day…full of possibility to chip away at getting closer to my goals.
How would your best friend describe you?
Curious + determined + passionate
What is the next skill you want to learn?
Screen printing
What is your dream project?
Making similar collections for the most well known cities in the world to share.
Favourite or most inspirational place in Sydney?
It charges with each visit to Sydney! The first time it was Queen Victoria Building but last time I Ioved exploring The Rocks and Manly
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
Be perfectly imperfect – my 90% is many others 100%.
What advice would you give to new, aspiring Makers?
Don’t do what you do because of society’s expectations or because someone is telling you to do them – make goals that make you want to jump out of bed in the morning.
And most importantly, what would your ultimate karaoke song be?
Tough one…maybe grease megamix? Everyone knows it!
JFRANK:
http://www.jfrank.com.au
https://instagram.com/jfrankau/