Frances Rookes

Frances Rookes has made art for as long as she can remember and has exhibited nationally and internationally.
She discovered the language of copper wire in a sculpture class and spent much of her final year of art study investigating copper, copper wire and the evolution of stitch – whilst knitting the wire to create delicate forms. Visiting an extrusion plant and feeling the temperatures of a molten pit gave her enormous respect for the wire she works with, and its makers. These explorations gave voice to her ideas in a new and interesting way that no other medium used previously, had. The seeming fragility that belies it’s relative toughness is an aspect of the copper that continues to fascinate her as a parallel to human experience whilst the role it plays in communication also informs her work.

Over time she has introduced more sophisticated elements to revisit old and explore new lines of thought – the process and medium continues to intrigue her – although she is not completely loyal to it and will use whatever medium is at hand to express ideas.