When you have a conversation with Strunk about his art, you’ll begin to realize that he really is a magician. What appears to be a vintage muffler is actually a hand-fabricated piece that Frank worked from a slice of metal that was so shiny and pristine that it looked like a mirror. He is a great illusionist, creating these textured, gritty pieces that possess a sense of history.

But how does he do it? How does he make it look so aged and worn? Don’t even bother asking. A lot of blood, sweat and imagination have gone into perfecting his process. I mean, come on, there’s a metal eagle hanging above his head with a wingspan of 14 feet that he fashioned from practically nothing with his bare hands. This is not a man that shares his techniques. I don’t blame him. Something like this is priceless.

Let’s hear what the artist himself has to say about life and art.

Q: What was the pivotal moment that you knew it was “give me art or give me death.”
A: I don’t think there was one pivotal moment, really, more like a series of moments. Once I started to open myself to the possibility of being an artist, and following my bliss, things started to happen that convinced me to trust the universe and take the risks. I mean, I didn’t feel like I had much to lose really. I was already losing day after day of my life working jobs that were robbing me of my life. I had to do it. It was scary and exhilarating as well. I don’t have any arts education, just a high school diploma, no art training, and here I was pretty much unskilled in the arts, but I knew that I had good ideas and good hands and I was passionate about it, too. I had tremendous energy and focus when creating. When I was at work at whatever job, I was thinking about what I was going to do when I got off, what supplies I needed, where I was going to get them. Were they going to still be open when I got off work? How much could I work on it before I had to go to sleep? Everything really. It was the only thing keeping me going.

Q: What inspires you?
A: Music, movies, people … whatever; talent, beauty, nature, ideas, artists that are committed to their craft.

Q: What is it like to be a working artist?
A: It is a lot of commitment and work. You need a good partner. I have learned that for me there is a balance of business and art. I had to be open to learning about marketing, sales, meetings; I mean there is a strong business component to being an artist. You can’t just create your art and expect someone to knock on your door and tell you that you are amazing and buy it. We live in a capitalist marketplace. It doesn’t mean that you have to play by their rules. People expect you to be different because you are an artist; some people are looking for you to be flighty or “out there” so they can take a shot at you. Don’t give them that shot. That’s why it is extremely important to be on time to meetings and be an extra good communicator. Don’t rely on the stereotypes to provide you slack. (“Oh, I’m an artist, I’m on artist time.”) Different things are threatening to the status quo. Understand their fear. Reject all of the stereotypes. I think it is our responsibility to show them that as creators we can bring a new perspective to their world and we can bring game that will make them sit up and take notice and respect us.

Q: On making the decision to be an artist …
A: I think if you are going to do it, I mean really run at it, you owe it to all creators to give all you have. Don’t be a flake. You will make it that much harder for the next artist that tries. If you are lazy or your heart isn’t in it, stay in your comfort zone and don’t even try. People are always looking for the easy definitions. Don’t be one of them. Don’t be lazy. Don’t steal. If you are looking to be offensive or create reactionary art for the sake of being offensive or getting a reaction, grow the fuck up. If you want to surf the Internet all day and steal a bunch of imagery and Photoshop it together and put a filter on it and e-mail it to a large format printer and call it art, DON’T. Dig into your craft and get your hands dirty and be brave and stop being lazy. You open us all up to the attacks by the ignorant right-wingers who use your lazy crap as ammunition to shame us. Shame on you. Be wary of technology; it can make you think you are better than you are.

Q: What is your background?
A: High school education as far as formal. I spent many years in my father’s print shop and then some time in the construction trade. I have good hands. I have a curious mind. I have a passionate spirit. I am not as concerned about the background as I am the foreground.

Q: What role do you think the artist has in society?
A: Hard to say. Many roles I think. We can be the conduit for so much. We can evoke emotion, inform, educate, all with our art. So much of what we see today in our culture in terms of imagery is full of ulterior motive. Advertising agencies are always dressing up ads as art or using art for its whims. From the jingle that came from the underground artist to the rip-off of the graffiti artist they are always trying to appropriate our voices. Big companies send out scouts to see what is being made by real artists, and send them to their overseas factories to be mass produced cheaply. We need to educate them. One of our roles is to out-do them.

Q: Do you find it a challenge to fill that role, and do you think you do it successfully?
A: It is a challenge. Creation is challenging. All of it is, really. As to weather I am a success still remains to be seen. I think if I am able to impart my experience to enough people, then I will consider myself successful.

Q: What would you do if someone came and stripped you of your studio, your tools, everything but your imagination and the ability to come up with ideas?
A: Never thought of that. It’s awful to imagine. I guess I would write.