Frank Colson

Frank Colson (1931–2015) was a Sarasota-based sculptor and ceramicist born in Paris to a Latvian ballet dancer and an American opera singer. After studying under Paul Soldner at Scripps College, he founded the Colson School of Art in 1963 and operated it for over four decades. Colson pioneered the Shellspen ceramic shell lost-wax bronze casting process and established Sarasota's first bronze art foundry. A self-described neo-primitive inspired by travels to 67 countries, he worked in clay, bronze, and mixed media, creating signature mask-like wall pieces and metamorphic animal sculptures.