Beau Bernier Frank is a 22-year old surrealist painter currently residing in the US. He grows in a multicultural family where he began his interest in traveling and art. In 2015, he was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis, a form of spinal arthritis.
After he struggles with persistent pain for a couple of years, he quit his job. Unable to walk, he decided to just stay at home and paint.
He dubbed his latest project “Off the Grid” which combines his love of travel and art. He does this by juxtaposing portraits and landscapes. This is his means of coping with reality and fighting with his disease. He created these surreal paintings during his time of finding meaning and purpose in life while battling with pain.
Frank takes the opportunity to “brainstorm and explore his artistic inclinations” while he was at home, unable to work or walk. He then improved and created a style of his own. This style would spark the start of his newest project “Off the Grid.”
“The model’s gazes offer insight into their personalities and reveal an air of disconnectedness with an undercurrent of nostalgia—in other words, they seek to escape their reality, and to travel to those distant places painted across their faces,” he said.
These paintings, he said, are a constant reminder of his bravery. He aspires to become stronger as he faces painful battles. He then promises to continue his proper medication for his fast recovery.
More of Frank’s paintings here.
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