Denise Franklin, Prize-winning Artist
SARAH MILNE
Getting a piece accepted into the Royal Academy of Art Summer Exhibition is a prestigious and transformative milestone for any artist. Winning one of the major prizes is an exceptional feat. Last month local artist Denise Franklin achieved this when her drawing Sleepwalking won the Hugh Casson Award for Drawing. I visited Denise in her studios at Fairlight to find out more about her journey this far in her career and her plans for the future. This is her story, in her own words:
Denise in her studio
“The private and absorbing world of drawing was a refuge in my young life. I have a distinct comforting feeling of my dad – a draughtsman– teaching me to ‘colour in’. I was encouraged by teachers to continue with art, but without career guidance, I took a post A level ‘year out’ to work in the library of the brand new Cat Hill campus of Middlesex Polytechnic. Within a very short amount of time, I had applied to do the Arts Foundation course that transferred from Hornsey. It was transformative; richly creative and intensely disciplined. I went on to complete a BA in Fine Art at Newcastle and a Postgraduate Diploma in Visual Theories at University of East London.
“I have managed to engage in some form of arts practice for most of my life. In 2012, Sarah Palmer and I set up the Stable Studios. The Stable building was being managed by Hastings Borough Council as derelict, and I lived in the house alongside it. I was exhibiting with Sarah in various exhibitions, and proposed the idea of approaching the council to refurbish it. Sarah and I talked to the estates department of Hastings Borough Council, and they proved to be very co-operative partners. It still ticks along! Sally Cole and Anny Evason have rented studios with us for the duration, so we are a very settled community of artists.
“In 2022 my sister, Lynda Franklin, encouraged me to enter the Royal Academy of Art (RA) Summer Show. My work was shortlisted, meaning I was invited to bring it to the Academy for a physical viewing. It was subsequently rejected. The feeling of disinvitation to a glamorous party is not for the faint-hearted, and the collection of rejected work – the ‘walk of shame’ in front of the glorious RA facade is painful.
“Nevertheless, I had another go. The curator of the 2023 RA Summer Show, the artist David Remfry, had devised the theme of ‘Only Connect’. My drawing SleepWalking connects to the subconscious abstraction of our journey while sleeping. Once again, my work was shortlisted and, with trepidation, I made the trip to deliver it to the curators.This time my drawing was accepted, I got to stay in the party, and it was incredible.
“Being contacted afterwards by the RA to be asked to accept the Hugh Casson Prize for Drawing was an immensely powerful moment.
“The opportunities that are beginning to arise from this are very exciting. I have new connections to negotiate. It’s a time to tread carefully – I haven’t given up the day job – while considering my next steps. I would love to be successful in an application for a residency with the Albers foundation (www.albersfoundation.org). I relish the philosophy, the chance to spend quiet developmental time in sympathetic space and glorious solitude. Who wouldn’t?”
‘SleepWalking’ is on show at the RA Summer Exhibition until 20 August. Denise also has work on show until 28th August at Rye Society of Artists Summer Show www.rysocietyofartists.co.uk. Her work is permanently available at ryeartgallery.co.uk
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Lovely article highlighting Denise Franklin’s beautifully considered work