A native of Southeast Texas, Frank Gerrietts was born October 2, 1937, in Port Arthur, Texas. He was encouraged early on to think for himself and be creative. Gerrietts credits Myrtle Kerr, a close friend and professor of art at Lamar University for steering him towards a degree in Art. He went on to attain a BA in Graphic Design.

Attracted to Mexico after a 1959 college study trip, Gerrietts decided to continue his education there. He received an M. F. A. from the Instituto Allende in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico. Gerrietts remained there another two years as an instructor, living in the renowned artist colony where he found the Mexican culture to be a source of new inspiration. To this day there is a marked Mexican influence in his work. Upon his return from Mexico, Gerrietts opened his own gallery. He operated Expressions Art Gallery in Beaumont, Texas for three years before being drawn back into teaching. Gerrietts spent the next 20 years as an art instructor for the Beaumont Independent School District. Former students still remember the garrulous artist as a hard taskmaster and opinionated individual. During this time the artist continued to grow and push his talent to its limits.

Gerrietts has worked in metal sculpture, both in welded steel and bronze, lost-wax casting, watercolor, acrylics, silk-screen, and oils, though his preference is straight watercolor or acrylics. When working in acrylics, he treats them as watercolors and at some point goes opaque for contrast. He also uses the latter mixed with collage and Prismacolors for special effects. Says the artist of his work: "Though the subject matter has changed, a lot of the symbolism has stayed the same and there is definitely a correlation between the old and the new. The medium I use depends on what moves me to paint. Some subjects lend themselves better to watercolor, whereas others can't be done as effectively, because they need more strength and complexity. It's not that the straight watercolors lack strength, it's just a different kind."

Over the years his work has gained a respectable following, garnering awards, publication, and serious recognition. Gerrietts has been a longtime member of the Watercolor Art Society of Houston (WASH), where he is a signature member, he's a past member of the Louisiana and Texas Watercolor Societies, respectively. His work in watercolors has been awarded BEST OF SHOW at both the Louisiana and Houston Watercolor Societies juried exhibitions. Gerrietts has in fact won the Houston show's top honors twice. Most of his inspiration he attributes to his senses. Music has inspired much of his art, with tastes running from Salsa to Stravinsky and everything in between. Gerrietts uses color association to paint smell and sound. According to Gerrietts, "Subjects vary, It might be the smell of an onion being sautéed, a mocking bird singing on a hazy morning sunrise or another stimulation of the senses that conjures up a memory from the past or an emotion that I am experiencing. The painting is always stimulated by emotional experiences."

In recent years, Gerrietts' work has strengthened in the area of multimedia collage. "Collage is just another way of doing a painting. One can look below the surface of the paint itself for meaning, movement and form. It's just another tool to get the end results." Through the use of color, texture, and collage, Gerrietts captures the smell of gumbo and the sound of a Mariachi band. "When I start a collage, the elements that I start with are the bits of paper, type, and textures. They are almost a complete piece by themselves. After that is done, I usually put on the music that fits the mood of my subject. I paint it the way I see it. I like to paint motion, as though I were conducting a symphony on canvas. Gerrietts currently lives in Port Arthur, Texas and works in Beaumont, where he teaches a sought after class in watercolor and multimedia painting. As an artist he continues to push the envelope. His latest collections can be called a personal retrospective, drawing on the artist's life experiences. The first is a series entitled "Of All The Girls I've Known", recalling memories of youth and lost loves. The second collection, entitled "Gitano Series", he attributes to being enamored with life. Gerrietts claims, "If I were to classify the style of the paintings, I would probably say it is some form of expressionism. There is always recognizable subject matter. The subject is usually played down more to let the movement, color, and rhythm of the painting flow."