East End artist Tapp Francke [above] is known as a master of color. An award-winning fine arts photographer, her work is displayed in galleries from New York, to Los Angeles, to London. In all five of her series, she has explored the dynamic between figures and color combinations to create stirring, transfixing images. “Aristotle called color a drug,” Francke points out, and contemporary writer Diane Ackerman calls color “a silent language.”

Working out of her studio in Southampton, Francke has received numerous awards in juried art shows and was a winner in the 2004 photography competition held by Applied Arts magazine. Art critics have highlighted her work in publications such as The New York Art World and most recently, New Yorker magazine. Get to know more about Tapp Francke in her NEW KDHamptons Featured Artist Profile, below:

KDHamptons: How long have you been living in the Hamptons and why do you love it so much?

Tapp Francke: I have been living in and out of the Hamptons since I was about 5 years old. I have lived in many other places but I have always found my way back here. There is something special about this area that keeps me coming back for more.

KDHamptons: How would you describe yourself as an artist?

Tapp: I am obsessed by color and how it effects each of us differently. I work hard to create the most beautiful versions of a particular color with the full knowledge that someone else might not have the same reaction that I do. I see the work as an entity unto itself. I hope that it can exist and flourish in the world without me. My hope is that people will respond to it. That they will have a visceral reaction to it that makes them feel and makes them think. I hope that my work brings joy and a depth of emotion to those who see it. As an artist I am merely putting this object out there to be viewed, and hope that it is good enough, beautiful enough, interesting enough to illicit an authentic response from it’s audience.

KDHamptons: What do you think draws so many talented artists to the Hamptons?

Tapp: The quality of the light is so special here on the East End. Also, the size of the sky seems larger. My favorite thing is the proximity of the farm fields to the ocean. I grew up in Sagaponack, so I thought that everywhere was like this. It’s only when you leave that you realize how unique and beautiful it is.

KDHamptons: Please explain what Chromesthesia is?

Tapp: Chromesthesia refers to a concept that explains how one sense modality can be triggered by the sensations of color.  It is a theory based on the subject of synesthesia. The linear color field images I take are all photographs of neon tubing.  They are shot with an old Hasselblad and because I am using film, not digital processes, the colors are pure light, and achieve more saturated hues.

KDHamptons: How do you create the saturated effects of your neon works?

Tapp: The neon words are neon sculpture.  I work with a neon company, creates a font, and selects color and size base on her response to specific words that have specific meanings, and/or feelings.

KDHamptons: Which piece of work do you consider your best, and do you own it?

Tapp: That is a funny question! The best piece of work I have ever created is always the most recent one I have done. I am always evolving in my work, so the most recent pieces are the ones that are the most authentic to me right now. And, I only own them until someone else buys them. Once a piece is made it is meant to be out there in the world. They are like children. They are not meant to be kept. They need to spread their wings and find there place in the world.

KDHamptons: How can our readers view your work?

Tapp: Voltz Clarke can always arrange studio visits in my studio in Southampton.

KDHamptons: If you could own any piece of work in the world, which would you choose?

Tapp: It would be “A Girl Reading a Letter a an Open Window” by Vermeer. He paints a quality of light that is exquisite. He also doesn’t miss a single detail. I also love “Girl With a Pearl Earring” by Vermeer. The color blue he achieves is magical. I would also love to own anything by Rothko. There is a passion to his painting and to his color work that is mesmerizing.

KDHamptons: Please describe what your perfect Hamptons day would look like?

Tapp: This is a fantasy, right? Ok, it’s early August. Wake up late in a fabulous beach house. Run down to the water with my husband and kids before we have managed to rub the sleep out of our eyes. Breakfast of fresh fruit and cereal on the deck overlooking the ocean. Back down to the ocean for a swim and a long walk. Meet up with friends on the beach. Have a picnic lunch and then more play time. Walk home for a warm shower and a late afternoon snooze. Wake up and drive out to Montauk for dinner at Navy Beach. Nice, huh? Too bad I don’t have a beach house.

KDHamptons: Do you like to entertain at home? Who would be your dream dinner guests?

Tapp: I would invite Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake because they are so funny together. I watch their clips on YouTube when I need a little levity. I would also have my grandfather, who died many years before I was born. He is someone whom I would like to have known.

Please visit http://www.voltzclarke.com/ for more details about Tapp Francke’s work including upcoming shows.