Princeton’s Triumph to host resident’s art.
By: Allison Busacca
Three years ago, Frank Haggerty was just an accountant with artistic inclinations.
However, at 54 years old, his passion is shifting from numbers to paint and he is holding his first solo exhibit at Triumph Brewing Co. in Princeton starting Monday and running through Sept. 26.
While he always loved doing artistic things, the lifelong Lawrence resident’s serious efforts are more of a recent development.
After dabbling in sketching and photography, Mr. Haggerty began painting with oil three years ago after attending a workshop by Hopewell resident Ken McIndoe.
"He was instrumental to my development in color and composition," Mr. Haggerty said. "He introduced me to using a knife instead of a brush when painting."
Mr. Haggerty’s landscape paintings are done in plein air style painted outside and completed in a short period of time.
That immediacy of starting and completing a painting in one sitting is just one aspect that Mr. Haggerty appreciates about the plein air style.
"I love being outside and standing in the elements," he said. "It’s the best way to really capture the light and mood of that moment."
Mr. Haggerty’s art is inspired by the California impressionist movement and done on boards, rather than canvas, with oil paints and a knife. He also said he uses a limited palate, with only four colors and white, on each painting to create a more unified result.
Mr. Haggerty said he particularly loves how the main focus of the impressionist style is capturing light and color. California impressionism is defined by loose figures and intense colors, he said.
"You may not see purple trees in real life, but in my painting, the purple trees convey a mood and portray what it was really like that day," Mr. Haggerty said. "The viewer can tell if it was cloudy or sunny, just by the colors used."
Although Mr. Haggerty has never been to Europe to study his idols Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet, he has traveled the East Coast studying with nationally renowned artists. Last summer, he took a week’s vacation to study with Lois Griffel, the director of the Cape Cod School of Art.
"When I went to her workshop, I had been searching for my own voice in art for a while," Mr. Haggerty said. "She showed it to me."
Finding time to paint can be difficult because of his full-time job as an administrator of finances for the science department at Rutgers University, Mr. Haggerty said.
He takes his paints everywhere with him, searching for that free moment, whether it be on an evening or weekend.
Before he became dedicated to his art, Mr. Haggerty dedicated himself to Lawrence Township.
He went to kindergarten in the township in 1955 and graduated from Lawrence High School in 1968. From there, he became involved in some of the many extracurricular activities available in Lawrence.
"I’ve coached baseball, soccer, basketball and I’ve been a leader of a Boy Scout troop," he said. "I truly love this town and what it has to offer."
After graduating from high school, he attended Mercer County Community College, where he received an associate’s degree in accounting. He went on to Rider University to get his bachelor’s degree in accounting. He also served in the Air Force for four years, one of which was spent in Vietnam.
He was in Vietnam when a friend introduced him to photography. He returned to the United States and started up a photography business in Lawrence. A lot of the work focused on shooting athletics in the township.
Mr. Haggerty’s photography has won more than a dozen contests, including one shot of his children that went on to be published in Kodak’s Guide to Photography.
"It’s a picture of my two kids, just playing in the yard one summer," Mr. Haggerty said. "I was laying on my stomach and used all 36 exposures on them. I was one of 100 winners in the country."
Mr. Haggerty said his art evolved from photography to painting. Though he focuses primarily on landscapes, when he does paint portraits, he loves to focus on his children Frank, 24; Lauren, 22; and his stepson, Steve, 24.
One painting that will be on display, but not for sale, is of Lauren in her ballet costume.
"I took a photo of her from when she was younger and aged it to what she looks like now," Mr. Haggerty said. "I don’t normally paint from photos, but I wanted to do it for her."
And while his children have served as an inspiration for much of his art, Mr. Haggerty said his exhibit would not have become a reality without the support of his wife, Jean.
That has allowed Mr. Haggerty to truly find his passion.
"It’s just a matter of taking the time to focus, finding the drive and determination, and working as hard as you would for any other task you take on," he said.