About the Artist
Born March 30th, 1925, Frank Broadhurst passed away on Dec. 11th, 2005. He is deeply missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing him. He was a great friend, loving husband, and the best Dad a guy or gal could hope for.
Frank Broadhurst was born on March 30, 1925, in Smithfield, North Carolina, to Margaret Ann "Annie" Whitaker and Charles Sloan Broadhurst. Frank attended North Carolina State University in Raleigh, and served in the U.S. Navy between 1943 and 1946.
He was schooled in art at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. Frank married Margaret E. "Peggy" Herzog in February 1954 in Somerville, New Jersey. They had two children, April and Crispin, both born in New York City.
For 30 years, Frank Broadhurst provided art, produced and directed commercials for major accounts at the McCann Erickson advertising agency. Starting out doing storyboards in New York City, he eventually produced award-winning television commercials, and his accounts included Nabisco and Kentucky Fried Chicken. Frank became art director and producer, eventually ending up in Atlanta as Vice President in charge of the Coca-Cola account.
After retiring in 1981, he began traveling looking for landscape scenes to paint for his own pleasure. Peggy Broadhurst would pack a lunch, and Frank would drive them across Georgia and neighboring states in his specially outfitted brand new Chevy Beauville van that would take them so many places, looking for eye-catching scenes, which he would photograph. They've also been to the Oregon coast where April lived, the Louisiana bayou, and the coast of Maine to name a few. These outings were a great source of subject material for his paintings, as well as the occasional unexpected adventure. At home in his studio, he looked at the slides through a viewfinder or with a magnifying glass and would draw a perfect sketch and paint in detail unusual for a watercolorist. His framer encouraged him to offer his art for sale, and that led to a job teaching watercolor painting at the Spruill Center for the Arts. Frank exhibited his watercolor paintings through Gallery V Ltd. in Roswell, as well as Digital Arts Studio in Atlanta where ultra-hi res digital scans were made to archive and create exceptional Limited Edition Giclée Prints of his work.
His works appear in both private and corporate collections. Frank was a past president and signature member of the Georgia Watercolor Society. He did commissioned pieces as well as teaching a handful of private lessons. Frank Broadhurst died on December 11, 2005, in Atlanta, Georgia, at the age of 80. Their dining room had wonderful light and was converted into Frank's studio many years earlier, complete with "A Bloomin' Driveway" for a view. Perhaps he has an even better view now.
"A Bloomin' Driveway"