Alyce Frank

Alyce Frank: In Memorium

Alyce K. Frank passed peacefully on January 16, 2024 in Santa Cruz, California. She was 6 days shy of 92.

Alyce was born in New Iberia, Louisiana and moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma when she was a child. Polio left Alyce with one leg compromised when she was 9, but only her wooden crutches gave away her physical handicap. Tenacious, intrepid, and always with a twinkle in her eye, she was never discouraged and in fact quite stubborn most of the time.

Alyce was among the first cohort of women to attend the University of Chicago when she was 15. She later moved to Los Angeles, California, where she met her equally eccentric husband, Larry Frank. After their house in Los Angeles burned down in 1962, Alyce and Larry moved to Arroyo Hondo, New Mexico, where they immersed themselves in the culture and history of the region.

Alyce took up painting around the age of 40 and became known for her bold, colorful landscape paintings. Self-proclaimed as a ‘Taos Expressionist,’ Alyce often covered her canvases with a signature bright red background. She was known for driving up to the edge of a vista and sitting on the tailgate of her station wagon to paint the dynamic landscapes of the Southwest. She also painted many portraits of her friends, relatives, and people of Taos.

Alyce was generous, fiercely loyal, and most of all never afraid to speak her mind. The best advice she gave and lived by was “have fun every day.” She believed in having dessert before a meal, and was always up for an adventure. In her final years, Alyce continued to draw despite her progressing Dementia.

Alyce will be missed by all who knew her, but her spirit lives on through her paintings and in the New Mexico landscape, itself. Alyce is survived by her children, Ross, Melissa, and Chad and her five grandchildren, Karina, Jack, Casey, Tanner, and Juliette.

Donations in honor of Alyce will be accepted at the Taos Center for the Arts and the Harwood Museum. A celebration of Alyce’s life will be planned for Summer 2024.

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Image 1: Alyce Frank, Taos Mountain With A Blue Sky, c. 1995, Oil on linen, 40 × 30 in. Gift of Mary C. Dill. Harwood Museum of Art Collection. Object 1998.0023.0000

Image 2: Alyce Frank, The Spring in the Canyon Up From Pilar, 1994, Oil on canvas, 34 x 44 in. Gift of Gary Spratt, Harwood Museum of Art Collection, Object 2009.0027.0000

Image 4: Alyce Frank, Grand Canyon #5, Oil on linen, 43 1/8 x 67 1/2 in. Gift of the Artist. Harwood Museum of Art Collection. Object 1998.0020.0000.