Jean Alexander Frater experiments with the materials inherent to painting and then integrates other histories, traditions and language into this form. Alexander Frater was a 2017-2018 Chicago Artists Bolt resident, received an MFA from The School of Art The Institute of Chicago, and a BA in philosophy, from the University of Dayton, Ohio. Her work has been exhibited internationally.
"About 20 years ago, I began painting directly on un-stretched raw canvas. I think this directness with the canvas, though still acting as the support to the paint, made me approach everything differently. The canvasses’ inherent materiality could not be ignored. I began experimenting in different ways of how one makes a painting. I wanted to highlight the support, and prioritizing the cotton fabric became my focus. I started folding and manipulating the canvas in various ways. This experimentation resulted in an excess of painted canvas. Both out of frustration, and out of limited resources, I started tearing up my paintings. Weaving the colorful strips was the next move. I liked the idea that the paintings held gestures of both destruction and care."
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