Unlike Her Loud Colorful Designs, Lisa Frank Is Notoriously Private — Where Is She Now?

The 1980s were a complicated decade, filled with devastating losses and the beginning of the end for the middle class in America. We're still waiting for those economics to trickle down! In the meantime, that particular time was filled with incredible music, life-changing movies, and the colorful designs of one Lisa Frank.

Most kids can trace their love of unicorns, rainbows, and playful kittens to this special era. It was as if Roy G. Biv himself vomited all over the world.

Lisa's eclectic designs were found mostly on school supplies, which made the tedious activity of actually going to class slightly less awful. She later branched out to stickers, shoe collaborations, and a clothing line that was decades in the making. Even though the designer favored loud vibrant artwork, she is notoriously private.

Where is Lisa Frank now? Here's what we know.

Lisa simply doesn't do interviews. What little we know about her we glean from other people, like her son. In August 2019, Elle Magazine interviewed Lisa's then 20-year-old son, Forrest Green, after it was revealed that he was running the Lisa Frank Instagram account.

When asked if his mother was involved in the account, Forrest said, "We're family, we do everything together, whether we like it or not."

Forrest encourages his mother to look at Instagram and then add things to the saved collection so they can discuss it later. The only guidelines are, whatever inspires her.

"To be honest with you, it ends up being videos of golden retriever puppies," he revealed. "But we all have strong opinions over here, so I definitely hear her opinion. Everything is a team effort."

As a child, Forrest described a relatively normal life with his famous mom.

"My mom would come to classes, or be at the ballpark and ask people about Lisa Frank's design and see if they liked it," he said. He learned that artwork often starts that way, on a smaller scale.

He touched on his mother's privacy and said she preferred to keep her work life and home life separate. "She wanted herself and her family to live a private life, and I'm extremely grateful for it," said Forrest.

In August 2015, visual artist Carly Mark spoke with Lisa Frank for FOUNDATIONS Magazine. It was reprinted with permission on Refinery29. The interview itself is somewhat boring, which is a strange juxtaposition against the backdrop of her energetic art.

Both Carly and Lisa attended the same high school, though at different times, which prompted a trip down memory lane. Evidently, Lisa once sold enough artwork at the senior art show to live on the earnings "forever."

She references her dad a couple of times, who seems complicated. After learning about the commission she made from her art show, Lisa's father stopped paying for art supplies. And while that makes some sense, he also refused to support her after learning she chose to attend the University of Arizona.

Speaking of her artwork and her dad, Lisa also shared that he hung up her paintings but it wasn't out of love. He just appreciated quality work.

Perhaps the interview feels a bit off because we know about her aversion to the press. Maybe it's difficult to get a read on Lisa in print. By the end, she says she never became an artist for "fame, fortune, or publicity."

Lisa just loves what she does, and is almost fanatical about it. It seems as if her fans feel the same way, as the Lisa Frank cult continues to this day.