Art Gallery (Transformation) | Amy Frank, Artist

Art Gallery

Transformation

1997 - Current

Welcome to my public portfolio. It's a lot!

As a pre-teen, I honed the ability to draw realistically. In my teenage years, when I started using substances to cope with depression, my work began to shift into surrealism. No matter where I've been on my journey—from mental illness, homelessness, and substance misuse, to sobriety and stability—my art and writing have captured that.

Explore my public art portfolio by selecting a specific year or scroll down to witness how my artwork has transformed and mirrored the stages of my life.

1997-1999 (Pre-teen Years)

2000-2004 (Teenage Years)

2005-2010 (Early 20's)

2011 (Art Career Begins)

2021 (Psychosis Ends)

When I was a pre-teen, I loved art and had some raw talent for drawing. My parents nurtured this talent by enrolling me into many different art classes and art schools. In these classes, I was taught to draw the world as I saw it before me.

1997 - 1999

Pre-teen Years (1997 - 1999)

Age 11 - 13

Hydrangea & Log

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Moonlit Bay

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Posh Spice

A Rose

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Cat in the Hat Woman

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Saba

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Art Girl

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Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh

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Julia Roberts

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Leonardo DiCaprio

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Cottage Court

Amy as a Baby

2000 - 2004

Teenage Years (2000 - 2004)

Age 14 - 18

In my teenage years, I started to use cigarettes, street drugs, and alcohol as a way to self-medicate depression caused by trauma. As my mental health deteriorated and my substance use increased, my art began shifting into surrealism. I still drew the world as I saw it before me, but my perception of reality was quickly becoming distorted. At the age of 18, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Conversations with a Mirror

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Trip(s)

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Eye of the Beholder

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Fly

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Girl & Horse

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Girls Alternative Program (GAP) Yearbook Cover 2001/2002

Wake Up

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Reality

Geoff and Tamara

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Insane (Lost Pic)

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Shadow of Serenity

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Pink Floyd's: The Wall

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Speed

The Afghan Girl

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2005 - 2010

Early 20's (2006 - 2010)

Age 20 - 24

In 2005 (Age 19) I crashed into a deep depression after a traumatic psychiatric hospitalization. I stopped writing and drawing. A year later, in 2006 (Age 20), I picked up a pen again. I cleaned up from hard drugs in my early 20's, however I continued to struggle with alcoholism and my mental health.

The Pencil Picture

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Dream

Angel Reading

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Sun Flower

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Random Doodlings of a Tired Mind

Wormhole

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Abbey's Eye

Passage to India

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Twisted Self-Portrait

Untitled Doodle

Blue Hand & Flowers

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Land of Lost Dreams

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Untitled (found drawn in an old journal)

The Mind of Amy Frank

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2011

2011 (Art Career Begins)

Age 25

In 2011 (Age 25), my life began to change. My art took on a new direction. I began to incorporate geometric black and white patterns into my art style. These patterns became an integral part of my work, for as I drew them, they brought on a meditative state which helped to balance out the depression and mania.

I officially turned my art into a business in 2011.

The Prairie Meadow

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The Lady in Blue

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The Tree of Shields

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The Tree of Stars

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West Coast Wind

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The Tree of Ladders

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2012

Age 26

2012

The Jaguar

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The Lioness

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The Sea Turtle

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On Golden Wings

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Arctic Hug

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Oracs

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The Tree of Textiles

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Eve: The Lady in Pink

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Elizabeth: The Lady in Yellow

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Ella & Lizzie

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The Tree of Music

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3D Lily

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Book of Design 2

2013

Age 27

2013

Eclipse

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Jamie

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The Reef

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The Tree of Shadows

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The Bee 2013

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In Emerald Waters

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Freddie the Frog

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Bandit

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Starsky

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Book of Design 3

2014

Age 28

2014

2015

Barred Owl

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Flight of the Eagle

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Fledgling

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The Tree of Trades

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Peacocks in Beacon Hill Park

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Mystic Beach

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Beautiful British Columbia

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Kathryn's Tree

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The Tree of Serpents

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Changing Seasons

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Owl & Frog

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Naked K9's

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2015

Age 29

Alone in the Universe

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The Northern Lights

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Autumn's Hourglass

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Simon

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Memories of Merlot

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Hesitation

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The Meaning of Blue

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Long May She Reign

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Mother Sun & Father Moon

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2016

Age 30

2016

Waterfall at Goldstream Park

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Matthew

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The Rascally Raccoon

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Fall's Infancy

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Ontario: Yours to Discover

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Alberta: Wild Rose Country

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Allistair

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The Way of the River

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The Tree of Deception

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Winter Serenity

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The Hunt

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Reflections

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2017

Age 31

2017

Caught in a Dream

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Saskatchewan

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Night Weaving

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Mount Robson

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Newfoundland & Labrador

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Star Gazing

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Yukon: Land of the Midnight Sun

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The Journey

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Sweet Surrender

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Prince Edward Island

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2018

Age 32

2018

Basil

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Poseidon's Pulse

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Deb's Garden

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At Peace

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Symbiosis

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Amy's Tulips

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New Brunswick

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Protection Island

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Let it Rain

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Pathways

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2019

Age 33

By 2019, I was now sober from alcohol, however I had begun using marijuana daily to self medicate the side effect Parkinsonism which was being caused by one of the psychiatric medications. I began to enter a drug (marijuana) induced psychosis–an adventure I aptly named 'Wonderland', which prompted my pieces to once again become even more surrealistic. I also began keeping little sketchbooks that I call Art As Therapy.

Although all my art has always been a form of therapy, the purpose of these sketchbooks was to let go of technique, subject matter, creating larger pieces with the intent to sell, and start creating less time consuming pieces just for myself again.

Me, Myself & I

What Dreams May Come

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The Tree of Compassion

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Out of My Mind & Oddly at Peace

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Forgiveness

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The Great Gig in the Sky

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Shhh...

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This Little Light of Mine

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Clarity

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2019

Art As Therapy (Sketchbook 1): Triggers Journal (Age 33)

2020

2019 - 2020

Art As Therapy (Sketchbook 2): Madness Journal (Age 33)

My Art As Therapy sketchbooks continued into 2020. I only created a few larger pieces that year as a drug (marijuana) induced psychosis, that had begun in 2019, engulfed me. Covid didn't help. Isolation drove me further into using, finding excitement, joy, and peace in the world unfolding through my psyche.

Through quotes, writing, & illustrations, my Art As Therapy books touch upon the world I was living in. I had a slip with alcohol in February 2020 and have been sober again since then.

2020

Age 34

The Garden of Amy

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Here I Am

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Self Contempt

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2020

Art As Therapy (Sketchbook 3): Conversations with the Algorithms (Age 34)

2021

2020 - 2021

Art As Therapy (Sketchbook 4): Navigating Wonderland (Age 35)

My Art As Therapy sketchbooks carried over into 2021 as I lived with and then exited a drug (marijuana) induced psychosis that had begun in 2019. There was a lot of pain that year. My Art As Therapy continued to capture my journey in quotes, writing, and illustrations. In 2021, I chose to get off marijuana. I also opened up commissions again.

2021

Age 35

Tim at Quarry Rock

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Toothless and Salty

2022

Age 36

In 2022, my Art As Therapy sketchbooks became a way to process the psychosis I'd experienced from 2019 to 2021 (the pain and shame of its aftermath). I started experiencing a bit of an art block. I remained open to commissions, however. My current Art As Therapy book has been on the go since November 2021. In 2022, I wrote a short 15 page graphic novel within that book called: Escaping Wonderland.

Lana's 80th

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Great Blue Heron

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2023 to 2025

Age 37 - 39

In 2023 and into 2025, I am still experiencing a bit of a visual art block although I am continuing to write. For visual art, I've mostly been creating Art As Therapy, as well as have been attending live urban sketching events. Art commissions are open.

In 2023, I gained casual employment in health care doing mental health peer support. I'm grateful to see our medical system recognizing the value of lived experience. I love creating art, but it's the mental health advocacy aspect that fuels me. My visual art and writing are avenues that allow me to challenge stigma, connect with others, offer hope, and share the things I've learned on my journey.

In 2023, I applied for my first ever solo art show. My proposal was accepted, which was very exciting for me. The show was called 'The Wisdom of Wonderland'. It took place for the month of April 2024. See photos from the show here.

Saba Preening in the Tree of Textiles

A photograph of Saba photoshopped overtop a darkened version of The Tree of Textiles (original drawn in 2012).

Here Comes the Sun

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Shifting Realities

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2021- 2025

Art As Therapy (Sketchbook 5): Work in Progress - Currently Untitled (Age 35 - 39)

2023

Age 37

2023

Age 37

Although my main income continues to be Provincial Disability, in the fourteen years since I officially turned my art into a career, I've gained an adequate amount of recognition through licensing, publications, and having my products in retail locations. My technique and style continue to evolve, as does my subject matter. My art has, and I'm sure always will be, a reflection of my life. I look forward to seeing what I create next!

Please consider signing up for my eNewsletter or following me on social media (links at the bottom of this page) to see new art and/or learn more about my journey. Thank you for joining me on this adventure! :)

Biography

Blog: Poetry, Advocacy etc.

Read my Biography & check out my Blog:

Or watch me tell more of my story, accompanied by a slideshow of art and photographs, in my 2019 talk: