Mary Franchini

I am a transplanted southerner who has fallen in love with the wet and cool Northwest.  The water, mountains, trees and skies lend themselves to watercolor and other forms of watermedia.  The ebb and flow of tides and the wonderful colors send me on a journey in my head.  Sometimes I feel that I paint backwards.  Painting in a very wet, loose way sends me to another place and I just go with the flow.  It gives me joy.  Then the work begins.  Now I have to make a painting and pull things together to make sense of it and a good design. If I am not satisfied with it I paint over everything with Gesso and go with whatever happens then.  Many times the painting tells me what to do and I have learned to just go with it. Sometimes they may even approach realism or strictly abstract and nonrepresentational shapes.  Or it may be perfect to tear up for collage. 

My painting journey started about 30 years ago with Decorative Painting.  Then I discovered watercolor and loved the fact that it rather painted itself.  It was never totally in control.  I had a very creative teacher, Tis Huberth, once a week during the 13 years that I worked in a clinic as a Medical Technologist.  During that time and later on I found teachers in workshop settings such as Barbara Netches, Robert Burridge and many others.  I have also taken art classes from Peninsula College. 

Now I am very fortunate to be teaching for Peninsula College in Port Angeles Wa.  The classes are experimental and our main objective is for people to have fun while they work and learn.  I am constantly amazed at the wonderful art that happens when people are having a good time and don’t even know that they are at work.  At times I get to see a glimpse of  their future and that too gives me joy. 

Email: hangar53@usintouch.com

Page modified: Sunday, April 02, 2006   •  webmaster: jim(at)graydog(dot)org

Page modified: Sunday, April 02, 2006   •  webmaster: jim(at)graydog(dot)org
 

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