Frost did not become an artist until he was in his 30’s. He was encouraged to paint by Adrian Heath whilst the pair were incarcerated in a prisoner of war camp during World War II. After the war was over and Frost returned home to try out several different art schools. In the end he settled on Camberwell School of art under Leonard Fuller with a year out to study at the St Ives School of Painting. It was in St Ives that he had his first solo show in 1947. He continued to exhibited with the St Ives Society of Artists before joining the Penwith society in 1950. In 1951 Frost met Roger Hilton whilst the pair were both working as assistants to Barbara Hepworth. The two men shared their interest in collage techniques. In his own work, he became well known for his strong, abstracted colours and shapes overlapping in rhythmic compositions. In 1992 Frost was elected to The Royal Academy and was knighted in 1998.