Living in Barcelona, Spain, Fraenkel was inspired by the designs and mosaics of Antoni Gaudi. He had always been drawn to Persian and Ottoman miniatures and Islamic art and architecture.  Since his time in Turkey in the 1970s, the eastern visual arts traditions called to him and he responded. Fraenkel’s pen-and-ink drawings reflect his deep interest in design.  Flat planes of color are organized in shapes that suggest ellipses and triangles.  Connected by lyrical lines, they dance in precision across the paper.
 Other works are more painterly, richly colored with a clear influence of mosaics.  These pieces are small and jewel-like, evoking nature without ever referencing it directly.  Fraenkel shares a studio in the Ajay Land building on Harris Avenue.  He loves the quality of the light in the building and enjoys having access to the arts and artists that make Providence home.  It is one of the reasons he and his wife decided to relocate to Providence.