fbpx
  • Arts & Culture
  • In the Spotlight

Coffee with … Frankie Vinci

 

We are excited to share the first video in our new “Coffee with inRidgefield” interview series!
So sit back and enjoy these intriguing conversations where go behind the scenes to get to know the interesting people in our midst.

To kick-off, we sat down with Frankie Vinci, artist, musician, and true Renaissance man. And with a name like Frankie Leonardo Vinci – he was destined to be an artist.

Watch the video above for a recap of our fun visit with Frankie and take a deeper with the full interview below. We’ve included a few of his own videos below so you can get behind the scenes and watch the artist in action. 

Is your name really Frankie Leonardo Vinci?!

Yes, it is! My parents were looking through name books for a full name. I was almost named Quincy Vinci which has a cool ring, but they eventually decided on Frank, after my father, and Leonardo, after the great Renaissance artist.

So you were destined to be an artist?

I guess so, with a name like mine my life was mapped out. And art is definitely in my DNA. My dad was an artist, muralist, and billboard sign painter and my grandfather was an architect in Italy. My brother is an artist as well.

VinciPopArt_montage from Frankie Vinci on Vimeo

Photo Credit: Nancy Breakstone Photography

How did you segue from musician to artist?

My music inspiration started back when the Beatles took over the world. My music career is long & winding. I was signed to Atlantic Records at age 25 with my band Fotomaker. My bandmates Dino Danelli and Gene Cornish of The Rascals are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Manifestation is real as I used to wear out their records as a kid and imitate Dino playing drums.

I’ve always been an artistic type and was destined to go to college for art but my music career took off in my early 20’s. My art career was a spontaneous creative awakening about 4 years ago. 

So what background music do you paint by?

Sometimes in silence,  sometimes contemporary pop music, and in the case of my latest piece, I had the movie Cat Ballou on as inspiration. My new piece is Jane Fonda as Cat Ballou, “Queen of the Outlaws”.

Behind the scenes at the studio

A glimpse of the artist working on one of his latest pieces:

 

“I start with a classic iconic poster, street art style, all graffitied over. So it’s layer after layer after layer of paint, rips and tears to make it look vintage. I call it “back alley art”.

Latest work

Some of the artist’s latest work on exhibit at D. Colabella Fine Art:

What are the eras that inspire you and your art the most?

It’s not just past decades, it’s also today’s street art and all music that inspires me. If I were to say which decades inspire me the most, I’d say it was the 60s for obvious reasons … Pop Art, music, fashion – and of course Andy Warhol!

Music and art definitely collide in your work! How would you describe it?

I like to brand my art as Graffiti /Street art on canvas. As if I went to New York City or Berlin and carved out a graffiti wall and attached to canvas. So I’d label it “Graffiti Art on canvas”.

And your focus on music legends?

Obviously I want to have the collector want the subject so I attract with icons. I think it’s more than just the music legends that I gravitate to. I find inspiration in the idols of music, female fashion models, iconic films. Anything that’s POPular.

Where is your work being shown currently?

I’m showing at the Icons & Rock n’ Roll exhibit at D. Colabella Fine Art Gallery in Ridgefield through Sept 10th, and at Salon Dada in Westport, which is open-ended. I’ll also have a piece showing in the New Canaan Art Barn exhibition in October and I’m lining up other exhibits for fall and winter. So stay tuned on my Instagram: @vinci_pop_art

What is it like being an artist in Ridgefield?

When I was looking for a home here with my former wife, we decided on Ridgefield. It’s artsy and the residents are friendly and hip. And most importantly hardly any crime or stress. It was a great town for our kids to grow up in as well.  I moved to this cool 150-year-old post & beam barn on the edge of the Ridgefield /West Redding area where I live and have my art studio.

The art community here is cool, Dee Dee Colabella has blessed us with two galleries and RPAC Art Center & Academy. There’s also the Ridgefield Guild of Artists, and having The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum here is a cherry on the cake. One day I hope to have a featured exhibition or at least one piece showing there. Actually,  I had two dog sculpture collages for a fundraiser in an exhibition at the Aldrich. I love that Ridgefield is a very artsy town!

Learn more about Frankie Vinci

Visit his website: vincipopart.com

Follow him on Instagram: @vinci_pop_art

Visit the gallery

D. Colabella Fine Art Gallery
Show Dates: Through Sunday, September 10th
Address:
446 Main Street, Ridgefield, CT 06877
Website: dcolabellafineart.com

Want to be a “Coffee with inRidgefield” guest?

Do you have an interesting story to tell? We’d love to hear from you!

Email Julia at editor@inridgefield.com.

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

You May Also Like

Get the Latest!

Stay posted on the latest events and happenings in Ridgefield