Too Soft to Be Tough

Mixed media on canvas in framed in Tasmanian Oak.

81 W x 101 H

Too Soft to Be Tough is a tender portrait of masculinity caught in a moment of stillness. A shirtless, tattooed figure sits on horseback against a saturated red background — strong in posture, but exposed in presence. His gaze is uncertain. His tattoos — anchors, mermaids, hearts — read like stories half-told, clinging to ideas of toughness, love, and identity.

Around him, softness insists on being seen. Blue flowers grow up the side of the frame. A yellow bird offers a sprig of calm. The horse, steady and expressive, seems to understand something the man cannot say aloud.

This work continues Frankowicz’s exploration of the spaces where strength and vulnerability meet. It draws on both folk and contemporary symbolism to gently question what we inherit, what we perform, and what we long to become.