It is a sad (for me) testimony to my limited fidelity to art and art making that I seem to return to this blog every two years or so. So here I am again.

I was blessed with Franklyn’s mentoring — and soon, his friendship. I had been the faithful teacher for so many — and now, someone took an interest in me: in my talents, in my dreams, in my hopes and the trepidation that I had in trying to realize them.

I was broken hearted to find out that Franklyn died, quite unexpectedly, on February 29, 2012. He was a muse, an alchemist, a searcher…and a friend.

A Review of a memorial show in his honor, written by Margarita Nieto in the Visual Art Source described Franklyn:

Los Angeles artist-teacher-mentor Franklyn Liegel passed away suddenly on February 29th of last year. A prominent member of the downtown artist community, this memorial exhibition draws not only from Liegel’s body of work, but from a number of fellow artists in a tribute to his active presence here. It also opens up the enormous space his absence creates. His passing elicited an immediate outpouring of grief from former students and friends that was expressed previously in the June, 2012, “Franklyn Calm, Franklyn Excited, Franklyn Artist” at AndrewShire Gallery. The artist’s unfinished works, based on the bits and pieces of things found in his studio, were distributed to his students and friends after his passing so those who knew and loved him might continue creating the abstract collage and two-dimensional assemblage works inspired by the late artist.

Liegel taught at Otis, Art Center, USC, the Crossroads School, the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, and at the New School for Social Research in New York, which presented him with the first annual award for Teaching Excellence in 1988. A dedicated following took his courses term after term and year after year. This exhibition places his contributions as an innovative abstract artist alongside his achievement as a generous teacher.

A generous teacher. That is how I dearly remember him. I miss him. And I need his spirit to nudge me out of myself and back to the Studio.