Hal Frenck (Born 1930) was born in Syracuse, NY to Marjorie and Harold Frenck. He worked as an art director for Osborn and Batten Barton Durston in New York City and had a prolific career as an illustrator. He became a freelance illustrator after working for various studios in Philadelphia and New York. Frenck worked for such prestigious publishing houses as Doubleday, Bantom, Sadler, Dunton, Daw, Panthion, Macmillan, and many more. Frenck is also an accomplished figure and portrait painter and member of the Portrait Society of America. After a successful career as an illustrator, he devoted himself exclusively to oil painting. Frenck’s artwork has been shown in the Southport Art Center, Westport Art Center, and Picture This Gallery in Westport. Frenck He graduated from Eastwood High School, and then proceeded to Syracuse University where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Frenck style in both portraiture and landscape was quite unique. He was an impressionist painter who used color and light to evoke a response and stir a strong emotion from the viewer.
As he worked on a piece, Frenck allowed the painting to evolve according to the dialog that took place between him and the work. He used lively, authentic brushwork which gave his paintings a sense of confidence and purpose. There is a “conversation” that happened between the work and the artist which added a depth of meaning and made Frenck’s work truly unique. Frenck died on 29 November, 2014. He was survived by two sons and four grandchildren.
