Tarina Frank is a Houston-based artist and certified high-school art teacher who works primarily in metals and paper. She began drawing and painting as a child when living and traveling on a 30-foot sail boat with her parents. She received her BFA from the University of Texas at Austin with a focus in metals and painting.
Tarina’s interest in jewelry and mechanisms has led to a series of work that revolves around ideas of constant change and identity. She explains, “Our current generation is addicted to the fast pace and instant gratification of the internet and the ability to broadcast information about themselves on social media. In the online world, we are celebrities, and everyone can see what we ‘like,’ who we are dating, and what we are eating. My jewelry allows you to wear your status updates, your relationships and your political views on your chest. With a simple spin of a knob, you can change your broach relationship status from ‘single’ to ‘it’s complicated.’”
Throughout her residency, Tarina will continue to investigate ideas of status, allegiance, and kinetics to create jewelry for a more hands-on society. Her work was recently exhibited in the Spring 2011 SNAG juried student show, and her work is included in the permanent collection of the metals department at the University of Texas. She will be at HCCC through May of 2013. For more information, please visit www.tarinafrank.com.
