Liquid Sunshine
Frankie Modesto
Love is a driving force in my work. Growing up queer in a small town has shaped my perception of intimacy. Like many other queer people, I began equating sex and love with shame and repression. As a painter, I am motivated by this personal history, my present environment, and the search for love, hope, sensuousness, and pleasure in my life.
In my recent work, I pour heavily diluted paint onto the surface, and then use those organic stains to form my composition. I am interested in using the fluidity of paint to explore the emotions of a fluid and changing internal environment. Emerging from the fields of color, I paint loved ones and dream-like creatures inhabiting imagined worlds. A fantastic dream where space and time melt away. My paintings relate to this sense of longing in a way that looks to the future with a desperate sense of optimism.

“Aidan and Andrea Arranging Sexuality Together,” 2020, Oil on canvas, 36" x 48"

“Caught Daydreaming,” 2020, Oil on canvas, 16" x 20"

“Beacon,” 2020, Oil on canvas, 54" x 54"

“Gobbling up the Sun,” 2020, Oil on canvas, 8" x 10"

“Oh Look at the Sky,” 2020, Oil on canvas, 8" x 10"

“Baby Big Eyes,” 2020, Oil on canvas, 10" x 10"

“Afternoon Sun 1,” 2020, Oil on canvas, 18" x 21"

“Afternoon Sun 2,” 2020, Oil on canvas, 8" x 10"

“Hungry Bird,” 2020, Oil on canvas, 12" x 12"
Frankie Modesto
TYL PAINTING BFA, ‘21
IG: @frankiemmodesto
Hello, I am Frankie Modesto. I am currently studying painting and art history at the Tyler School of Art and Architecture. I work primarily in oils, and I love to paint! My last exhibition was in “I Hope This Finds You Well,” a group show curated by the senior studio painting class