Yorktown Fine Artist Debuts New Show in Beacon

The work of fine Yorktown artist, Sally Franklin, will be on display at The Cup and Saucer Restaurant and Tea Room in Beacon throughout the month of June. The opening reception for her current show, Infusion, will be this Saturday. 

The opening reception is part of Beacon's Second Saturdays—a night that celebrates the town's strong arts community by offering late-night gallery and shop hours.

Often inspired by fabrics and textiles from her years as a fashion illustrator, Franklin includes beautiful prints and textures as the backdrop for many of her paintings. Her work now spans beyond illustration and into the delicate watercolor brushstrokes and meticulous colored pencil renderings of her current representational paintings. 

"It’s a pleasure to be showing my work in such a thriving and supportive arts community as Beacon," Franklin said.

Franklin was born in New York and studied art at The Traphagen School of Fashion Design and Illustration in New York City. From there she began her professional art career as a fashion illustrator for a major department store.

"Growing up, I always had a love of creative projects," the artist said. "As a child, the joy of getting a new box of crayons or markers was better than just about any toy I could receive. But instead of decorating my newest coloring book with a solid color inside the lines, I always created my own patterns: The sky was never blue. Checkered patterns, polka dots, and various shapes made their way onto the pages."

Her parents – especially her mother, who was a fashion designer – encouraged Franklin to follow my passion for art. As a fine artist, Franklin began exploring different mediums, and colored pencil, and expanded her work to include watercolor.

"To this day, I’m drawn to the intricate folds and patterns of fabric, and it often makes its way into my paintings," the Yorktown woman said. "You’ll see fabric draped in backgrounds, underneath objects, crumbled up in a basket, or as the sole focus of a work. I also love working with shadows and light, which is represented often in my work as well."

It is the exploration of artwork throughout her career that culminated in her new show. 

The name of the show, “Infusion," refers, in part, to the juxtaposition between the tightness and rigidness of colored pencil, the unrestricted freedom of watercolor, and how the two interplay with one another as they're displayed on the same walls, the artists said. 

"I truly believe that art and beauty can be found anywhere and that anything can be an interesting subject," Franklin said. "Taking a simple every day item and turning that often-unnoticed object into art is rewarding. Seeing that object in a new way can make viewers truly stop and notice it." 

The reception on June 9 will be held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. It will offer an opportunity to meet the artist and mingle with other art lovers. All original artwork will be available for sale by the artist.

For more information about the artist, go to www.sallyfranklin.com. The Cup and Saucer Restaurant and Tea Room is located at 165 Main St. in Beacon.

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