Hello, I am Jerry Frech and my wife is Dana. We are both artists and this particular profile is maintained by Jerry - from time to time I will post my wife's work.
So a little about me. Well, I have been Blessed in my life to have been adopted from the Philippines, to have traveled to 24 countries, live abroad for 11 years and to have survived a war that took my childhood friend, Leonard. Yet, my life is about art and my artistic journey, like yours, has taken a lot of ups and downs but it started like most.
Like most, I started doing art since I was able to pick up a crayon. After drawing several pictures and on several walls, my mom realized my talent! So she took me to a kid's art class with Marie Fox at Windy Acres Creations in Culpeper, VA. I loved it there sooooo much and I really wanted to do art for life but like everyone else I got distracted. When I graduated from High School I was certain that I wanted to be in the military and spend a career doing that. Yet, in 2006 I was deployed to Iraq with the US Air Force (my AFSC: Security Forces - basically a cop) and found myself surrounded by negativity, sorrow and, yes, drama. Without a lot of options to get away from all of the negativity, I escaped the only way I knew how: art.
During my six month deployment, I kept four journals of sketches and writings of the Iraqis, my fellow airman and about my future. I realized right then and there that I was not going to waste my life on anything else but ART. I sold out to my work. On May 13, 2006 (almost a year after my Leonard died in Iraq) I made the decision in my journal to leave the military and go back to school for art.
Now, I have received my B.A. in Art (2010) and currently I am seeking my MFA in Painting at Radford University studying under ZL Feng. No, my journey is not the typical route but what is? Most people graduate from college within 4 - 6 years after High School, right? I did not and I do not regret a single moment of it all. Sure, you are going to fail....sometimes....but it is whether you get back up or not. Remember, for every failure, for everybad piece of art you make it only takes you closer to the one you were meant to create. AS LONG AS YOU DO NOT QUIT!
Also, follow us on Facebook @ www.Facebook.com/frechstudios
or
MorningSketches.blogspot.com
DanaFrech.blogspot.com
www.FrechStudios.com
Current Residence: Radford, VA
Favourite genre of music: I love all music and the ones I don't I respect.
Favourite photographer: Ansel Adams and Nat Geo
Favourite style of art: Pop-Art and Classical Realism
Operating System: MAC
Personal Quote: Talk less, paint more, if they're going to talk about you then let it be about your art.