Francine grew up in a serene part of the Ottawa Valley. Supported by a father who loved art she was encouraged to pursue dance, music and painting at an early age. An unexpected relocation to Vancouver over two decades ago fostered a renewed interest in the visual arts, using the camera as a tool.
Her work explores the use of photography as a means to create rather than to document. She attempts to fuse reality with the imagined.
Vignettes of larger scenes are most often the focus of her photographs. Characterized by extreme sparseness and simplicity, images make considerable use of negative space. She also draws on a minimum amount of colour and content. This often leaves interpretation and meaning to the viewer's perception of her work, one of the greatest achievements of minimalism.
Digital intervention plays an important role in arriving at the final print. It allows her to massage, enhance, mold and transform the image in a style that has often been described as painterly. It is an extension of her vision. Calculated cropping, a critical part of the process, creates both energy and visual tension.
Driven by a passion for experimentation and in her quest for new and different styles, Francine will continue to actively study other art forms and incorporate them into her work.
THE BEACH
In this selection of photographs, children engaged in playful moments and adults lost in thought represent a recurring theme. Her images often portray a surreal quality, as if capturing loosely rendered moments in time, a fleeting glimpse of what is to become the past. In her subjects, she tries to embody distance, beauty and mystery.
PAINT ON METAL
The ever-growing beauty in decay inspired these photographic abstractions. Rusting metal surfaces and peeling paint on old railway cars and buildings lend themselves well to an emphasis on texture, composition and color. Image titles are carefully selected to reflect the tonality within. Unlike the other pieces this body of work has minimal post-processing.
FAUNA
This series is timely in light of the current activity directed at animal welfare, rights and sentience. In capturing her subjects, she tries to sense their unique personalities, their fragility and grace. Most images are challenging in part because of the unpredictability of their movements. This is partially resolved by allowing animals to adapt to her presence. Their curiosity is aroused which allows her to capture their essence more readily.
FLORA
The beauty and perfection of flowers can be interpreted in many ways. Their reality finds its way into the composition as it becomes an artistic expression of what is seen through the lens. In an attempt to capture their essence, focus is usually maintained at a bare minimum.
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Arts, Anthropology, Toronto, ON
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2015 West Vancouver City Hall, West Vancouver, BC
2007 The Hycroft Gallery, Vancouver, BC
2004 Blackberry Gallery, Port Moody, BC
2003 The Waterfront Gallery, Vancouver, BC
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2020 Ferry Building Gallery, West Vancouver, BC
2017 Ferry Building Gallery, West Vancouver, BC
2017 Harmony Arts Festival, West Vancouver, BC
2017 Seymour Art Gallery (3 exhibits), North Vancouver, BC
2017 Beaumont Studios, Vancouver, BC
2016 Seymour Art Gallery, North Vancouver, BC
2014 Ferry Building Gallery, West Vancouver, BC
2012 Ferry Building Gallery, West Vancouver, BC
2010 Ferry Building Gallery, West Vancouver, BC
2007 Silk Purse Arts Centre, West Vancouver, BC
2004 Ferry Building Gallery, West Vancouver, BC
2003 Cityscape Gallery, North Vancouver, BC
2003 North Vancouver District Municipal Hall, North Vancouver, BC
2003 Alberta Center for the Visual Arts, Edmonton, AB
GALLERIES
2008 Feast in the Village Art Gallery, North Vancouver, BC
2003 Bel Art Gallery, North Vancouver, BC
2003 Casa Gallery, Vancouver, BC
OTHER
2018-2020 Silk Purse Arts Centre, The Art Box, West Vancouver, BC
2010 Hunted Productions, movie set rental for A Trusted Man, Vancouver, BC
2007 Secrecy Pictures, movie set rental for Betrayal, Vancouver, BC
2003 Fifth Avenue Cinemas, solo s-2020creen preview, Vancouver, BC
2003 CBC-Radio Canada, interview, Edmonton, AB
