His and hers: a visit with Brooklyn artists John Aaron Frank and Charlotte Greville
At the southeast tip of Greenpoint, newlyweds Charlotte Greville and John Aaron Frank are honing distinctly different crafts. Home for them is a live-work loft in a neighbourhood geared toward building supply companies. It’s typical of a Brooklyn that edges closer to extinction every time it’s acknowledged.
She makes jewellery and home accessories, including a line of teardrop-shaped breast charms– complete with tiny nipples. He makes art with car parts. But to characterize their relationship as simply yin and yang couldn’t be further from the truth.
‘The boob has so much power,’ Greville says as Frank nods in agreement. He has been known to sport the pin.
Greville, a Bard alumna, started out as a stylist working with George Cortina, but in 2010 she decided it was time to style her own creations. Greville draws on a number of inspirations, from mid-century modern interiors to the natural formations of Watkins Glen State Park– a favourite Finger Lakes retreat. When Frank gave her a sander, she began a series of geometric wood pendants themselves like tiny pieces of furniture.
‘The world dishes up materials,’ the couple agrees.
Frank's version of a ‘ground score’ is a discarded windshield. After graduating from Cooper Union, he worked for various artists and painted motorcycles before establishing his own studio. His circle of like-minded creatives includes Kanye West-collaborator Wes Lang, who is also responsible for Frank’s American flag tattoo.
Painter, sculptor and motorcycle enthusiast Olivier Mosset became a mentor to him, and connected Frank with Swiss Galerie Lange + Pult, including him (with Lang) in the 2012 show ‘Hell Raisers’. Frank’s first solo show with the gallery was in 2013, and in 2015 ‘John Aaron Frank - Every now and then’ ran in Zurich.
Frank says his work speaks to the Swiss affinity for Americana and Rock ‘n’ Roll culture.
Most recently, Frank was included in Leila Heller Gallery’s ‘Shrines To Speed’ exhibition. He showed an iridescent windshield and a string of pennants made of tinted automotive glass.
But mixed in with these works is his lettering. Like brass paint on wood that says Alot Alot Alot (2015) and On, doubt(2015) reading ‘Adieu whatever I want adieu.’ On the day I visit the studio, Frank has just applied a coat of metal to a plaster Although.
Meanwhile, Greville is moulding wax prototypes for her next jewellery line. Although stylists still gravitate to her wooden jewellery, she feels most buyers ‘want the shiny stuff.’ Plus, when the jewellery is cast, the quicker turnaround favours experimentation.
She shows me prototypes for mushrooms that would close around the finger like her other adjustable rings. And if that’s too phallic, well, at least there are the boobs to balance it out.
‘They’re my form of feminism,’ she says of the breasts. At Jeffery-West (you can also buy her work at buzzy Williamsburg boutique Electric Nest), they’re marketed as unisex– as they should be.
And this is the great thing about the joint studio: her feminism is actually a universalism, and his so-called car art is surprisingly poetic.
The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway dominates the view from the couple’s loft. I ask whether the noise is an irritation. It’s really not that bad, Frank says, imitating the cars’ constant hum.
The lucky ones will go to a gallery in their next life.
INFORMATION
For more information on John Aaron Frank visit his website
For more information on Charlotte Greville visit her website
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
Yves Béhar gives striking shape and form to this new hybrid-electric catamaran concept
Solsea is a concept catamaran from Italian shipyard Rossinavi, blending zero emission cruising with design by Yves Béhar
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
La Vie en Rose: can the Jaguar Type 00 reset the narrative surrounding the brand’s reinvention?
This is the Jaguar Type 00, the first physical manifestation of the reborn brand’s new commitment to ‘Exuberant Modernism’. We take it for a semiotic spin
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
The RIBA House of the Year 2024 winner is a delightful work-in-progress
The winner of the RIBA House of the Year 2024 is Six Columns in South London - the home of architect and 31/44 studio co-founder William Burges
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Revived Scout Motors reveals two all-electric utility vehicle concepts
As Scout throws the covers off its debut Traveler SUV and Terra truck concepts, Wallpaper* speaks to its chief design officer Chris Benjamin about the reborn brand
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Does the Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 Monogram Series epitomise Pebble Beach culture?
Mercedes-Maybach launched its new SL 680 Monogram Series at Monterey Car Week 2024. How does Maybach's 21st-century take on upper-class motoring square with America's most upscale auto show?
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Carrosserie Caselani’s Fourgonnette is a retro van for bold businesses
This updated Fourgonnette, inspired by the legendary Citroën 2CV, cloaks a conventional Citroën commercial vehicle in a stylish retro skin
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
EMC White Wolf is a military Mercedes turned modern-day cruiser
The Expedition Motor Company (EMC) takes surplus Mercedes G-Wagens and uprates them for contemporary collectors, creating a classic car that goes anywhere
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Fuell Fllow e-motorbike could be the ultimate commuting machine
The Fuell Fllow, a blend of superbike power and style with the silence and convenience of all-electric power, is a bold statement for those seeking zero-emission urban travel
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Aston Martin’s Q New York showroom blends classic modernism with cutting-edge technology
Q New York is an invite-only space on Park Avenue, Aston Martin’s latest foothold in the American market
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Peugeot’s sparky 308 gets hybrid power and handsome lines
The Peugeot 308 proves that mass-market design needn’t be dull, blending hybrid power with sharp lines and excellent detailing
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
BMW Motorrad brings out the big guns for its newest cruisers
BMW Motorrad R 18 Bagger and Transcontinental set the tone for high-voltage cruising with a brand collaboration with speaker specialist Marshall
By George Chapman Last updated