IT'S STILL LIFE....BUT NOT AS WE KNOW IT, CAPTAIN by Natalie Elliott

Published by THE DAILY MAIL October 28th 2006

Star Trek star
snaps up canvases by student a top art school turned away 

STAR
TREK legend Patrick Stewart has declared the work of a Glasgow School of Art
reject to be "out of this world".

Frank
To, 24, has sold three canvases to the actor who played Captain Jean- Luc
Picard in the cult sci- fi series.

The
artist, who was turned down when he applied to study at Glasgow School of Art,
graduated from Huddersfield University with a BA honours in painting and
drawing before completing his MA in fine art at Dundee's Duncan of Jordanstone
College last year,

Mr To
said: "I met Patrick after my degree show in Huddersfield
and was slightly hungover at the time as I had been celebrating.

"But
when he came in I sobered up pretty quickly. He's a fan of art and liked what
he saw of my paintings.

"Our
relationship took off from there and last year he bought my work for his own
collection."

Mr To
is currently taking part in an exhibition in Glasgow's West End
alongside celebrated painter Peter Howson.

He
said: "I'm working non- stop at the moment and have had several exhibitions in London which have sold
out. It's a great honour to have my paintings shown next to Peter Howson, who I
admire. My art is also very dark and has an unusual approach.

"It
begins as abstract, with no formal structure, before I use a more specific
technique to tweak the figure out of the painting."

Mr
To, who lives in Newton Mearns, near Glasgow,
may be rubbing shoulders with celebrities, but still finds time to work in his
family's Chinese restaurant, Mearns Wok.

He
said: "I help out occasionally when they are understaffed. I can't say no, I'd
feel guilty. Besides, it teaches me to be humble.

"I don't
think it would be a good idea to hang up any of the paintings in the
restaurant- it might put people off their food."

Jim
Birrel, who is responsible for undergraduate admissions at Glasgow School of
Art, said: "Obviously, we don't have a monopoly on graduates. We are happy to
see any artist doing so well. I wish him all the best."