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SusiFranco Female Narragansett United States: Share

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Fakes & Forgeries

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Great Resources for Ar...

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Barack Obama's and John McCain's Arts Policies and Choices

Replied Sep. 11, 2008

Art supply discounts

Replied Jun. 5, 2008

Honey Holes...Our Favorite RI painting locations

Replied May. 25, 2008

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SusiFranco and Jay Egge are now friends

September 9

Lilla Dickerson left a comment for SusiFranco

June 5

SusiFranco commented on Ken Rosenthal's group 'Fakes & Forgeries'

Here's my Great Fake for this year----usually I get all serious about doing a dead-on copy; this year, I went for a little levity, not unlike Sir Jonathan. :) There's a REALLY funny story about the frame I put on this work; remind me to tell you...

February 8

Profile Information

Relationship Status:: Single

I live in:: Washington County

Art on Display: www.SusiFranco.com

www.FineArtBySusiFranco.com ( open but still under construction)

Susbscribe to My Blog-Art As Meditations-Soothe The Spirit,Feed Your Eyes-

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Medium: Primarily oil, but often use acrylic for underpainting; infrequently do WC or pastel. I also do stained glass "paintings".

About Me:: Although I have a background in the arts, primarily music and writing, I painted sporadically, maybe one work every year or so. It was a love I did not have time to indulge very often , related to the responsibilities of rearing six children alone and working as an RN to support them.
Seven years ago my entire life was catapulted from its' usual path by a severe back injury which left me totally disabled, unable to work. Overnight everything I believed in was drastically altered; it seemed my life was stuck in re-wind. The rigors of constant pain and lost independence pushed me into an abyss of depression I was uncertain I had the strength to combat. Because I am allergic to most narcotics, I was also dealing with issues of chronic pain I was at a loss to cope with.
My sister remembered I had always loved to paint, and deeply concerned for my well-being, started sending me student-grade art supplies and subscriptions to various artists' journals to occupy me. It worked. The very first time I put brush to paper, several hours flew by and I realized how diminished my awareness of pain was. I started to study the journals voraciously, painted daily and totally immersed myself in the practice of art. I remembered what it meant to be happy.
I realized I had to make a decision whether to live or die, and I am not ashamed to say Art saved my life, provided me a desperately needed focus that took me outside myself, made me see my world from a different perspective.
What started out as pain-relief blossomed into first a passion and now a way of life, a new career. Art returned to me the desire to live and thrive and create, equipped me with the tools necessary to survive.
As you look at my work you are seeing my physical pain, only transmogrified into another form, just as ice assumes another form as it melts into water. Art is my vehicle for discharging the negativity of suffering; I believe it can do that for not only the artist, but the viewer as well.
My style tends toward Post-Impressionist with a strong Fauvist influence, and I am quite fond of Abstract Expressionism. I use old world classic techniques to create contemporary works. I make serious commitment to the study of art; I move in evolution through various periods in my work and absorb something of each one, further flavoring my art. My style is always changing; I am quite purposeful in that regard. I often show in Europe, won an award in an international exhibit in the International Bird Show in Bejing, China in ’05 and a second int’l award in The Associacion Internationale Ruiz Aznar in Granada, Spain, in ’06. My work was recently chosen by “Extreme MakeOver: Home Edition” for their Warwick, RI project, I am very proud to say. I‘m fortunate to have collectors from Oregon to West Virginia, from Maine to Florida.
Although the three dimensional qualities of oils consistently astounds & delights me, I find excitement in the potential of any creative medium and am always experimenting, learning, attempting.
Thank you for your support of living artists, and I leave you with the words of Pablo Picasso:
"Art washes away the dust of everyday living'....

I can tell you with authority, Pablo was right.

Warmly: Susi Franco

Website:: http://www.FineArtBySusiFranco.com

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SusiFranco's Blog

EXTRAORDINARY painting video-You OWE it to yourself to watch this !!!

This fella's name is Ben McPherson, and this link is to a You-Tube video that will just blow your mind completely, in a GOOD way; in fact,in the best way possible. It takes a few minutes, but the further you get into it, the "wow" factor ups. You think it is an oil portrait demo in the beginning, but stick with it....well worth the pay-off. :) Pay attention to the title, it is an important hint.
Warmest Regards to all~ Susi

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLHxcwVXW34&feature=related

Posted on December 12, 2008 at 10:39am —

URGENT ARTIST'S RIGHTS ISSUE-PLEASE READ !!!

In one of the darkest hours of human history,one of the children's barracks in Auschwitz, an astounding art drama unfolded. This is where children were kept before taking them to the gas chambers. Dina Babbitt was an artist in the camps at the time and one of the captive barracks captains asked her if she would paint a mural on the walls of the barracks to brighten up the lives of the kids. She chose Snow White knowing that if she were caught doing it she could be in big trouble. After the mural… Continue

Posted on September 2, 2008 at 10:41am —

http://www.inews3.com/play.php?first=Susi%20&last=Franco

Ahem----I decided to run for President. Take a peek at the above link to my video, see whatcha think......

:)

tee heee Susi~

Posted on August 28, 2008 at 4:38pm —

The Art Community in RI

Well, I think this site is just the cat's pajamas. Mr. Rosenthal, an accomplished & brilliant fine artist I am proud is from RI, seems to care very much that we have a fertile place to commune. I endorse that mightily; I love networking with other artists; every conversation with an artist can teach you something, and I'm always hungry for learning. Plus, I just adore the energy an artist exudes; it is a beautiful thing and I inhale it like oxygen.

I often wonder which came first: that love… Continue

Posted on May 10, 2008 at 11:45am — 13 Comments

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At 4:39pm on August 14, 2008, SusiFranco said…

WOW~ Have I been away a while or WHUT ???!!! I've missed you all, missed the amazing interactions and stimulating networking.

Hope you can forgive the absence; been very busy with the usual seasonal art fests, then heavily pre-occupied with marketing my new site, completing a new interior design client's project ( which snowballed from a bathroom to three rooms !), and out-of-state family coming to visit.

It has been an unusually hectic summer for me, and I'm looking forward to the quiet contemplation of the fall and winter.

Let's see...news...well, PBS has kindly asked me to be a Guest Auctioneer again this year. I think they liked my ad-libs. :)
Oh---a site I license my work to made a huge sale of four of my paintings to an apartment building owner in sunny Cal, VERY happy about that !
I am working on a new writing project, which will suck up alot of time in the coming months. I'm also determined to carve some time out for me-painting...you know what I mean, when you paint something just for yourself, not neccessarily for sale, but just because the subject intrigues and challenges you ? I have several of those lined up, and am itching to do them before I must commit myself to writing and then to holiday painting.
I was honored by being asked to serve on the Advisory Board of Discovered Artists.com, a wonderful new site that I am very excited about. They actually keep sales statistics, the number of views each of your works gets, etc. It is a very professional online gallery, dedicated to promoting artist sales ( as opposed to just using up bandwidth). I HIGHLY recommend it, and if you decide to visit and sign up, please tell Brian ( the CEO) I sent you.

So much has been happening...just this morning I was delighted to be chosen for interview/site feature by the PayPal Online Merchant's Network, for the success of my new site ( which is STILL being added to !)

You may notice that I've posted a little orange widget to allow you to subscribe to my Blogger Daily Paintings As Meditations blog...hoping you decide to visit with me through my blog, and you must write a quick note and let me know what your experience was with it.
Sooooooo...what's been happening with YOU ?? :) Hollah back !~
Warmly: Susi

At 4:15pm on August 14, 2008, SusiFranco said…: Subscribe in a reader

At 11:20am on June 10, 2008, Diane Hanna said…: Hi again Susi, What is a StarGazer? And thank you for telling me about Urbis--I'll take a look at it. Your kind words are so reassuring--I'll look at them whenever I need a little shoring up! That and your radiant picture of Italy that would warm anyone's day from the inside out!

At 10:05am on June 7, 2008, Marjorie Ball said…: thanks. especially the idea about postcards. I have my work cut out for me before leaving!

I will bring my paints and digital camera, but it will be very minimal. I am visiting my grown son and he and I will be spending as much time together as we can. He'll be working days, though, some days, so I will wander.

still working on my website so that will be done before I go also. I'm looking forward to it.

At 10:35am on June 6, 2008, Diane Hanna said…: Hi Susi, Thank you so much for your kind words and for telling your brave--and inspirational--story. Your work is exquisite. The paintings of the Italian landscape and also the American prairie are luminescent and full of wonder.

At 11:11pm on June 5, 2008, Marjorie Ball said…: Your story is very moving. I hope you stay focused on the art, which has been such a life-saver for you.

I have been painting most of my -- years, and still am only in 2 local galleries. too scared to stick my neck out further. So, congratulations on your hard work and sheer guts in putting it out there.

I will be traveling to Taiwan to visit my grown son this summer. Any tips for a neophyte on appropriate ways to show some of my art to people over there?

At 6:06pm on June 5, 2008, SusiFranco said…: Richard Grovenor, huh ? I feel bad you had to live that way. :):):):):) It happens that he is one of my personal heroes; every time I do a show at Spring Bull, I have to stop and gaze at his work, sometime to the point that they look ready to ask me to leave.
:)
I looked at your design projects...gorgeous, gorgeous gorgeous~!! I write for the magazine "So RI", and did a story on house/home staging back in April, I think was the issue. Too bad I didn't get to interview you ! Seems you & I have alot in common. :) I'm guessing that is your home in the photos ? I think you'd get a kick out of mine. I've been doing interior design for years for family and friends and myself, of course; faux painting, the whole shootin' match, love it; if I were to have a hobby, that'd be it. I always wanted to make a living at it, but after getting my Nursing degree, just couldn't find time to go back to school. Now, of course, I'm an artist full-time and seem to have even LESS time to study anything but Art. LOL
Your work is simply bliss !! I could just move right in and live in those pictures, they suit me to a tee !! :)
What a pleasure to make your acquaintance !

PS---I am working on my second book, might interest you: how we respond to color and can use it to have happier, more successful lives, called "BrushStroke Zen". I've been studying Faber Birren and Pantone. Awesome resources.
More later and thanx for your lovely note~
Warmly: Susi

At 5:36pm on June 5, 2008, Judith Perl Rosenthal said…: Hi Susi..
First, thanks for joining my group and for your honesty. Your story is fascinating. It amazes me how certain things that happen to us sometimes lead us to incredible opportunites we couldn't have imaged ... ain't life grand! My life as an artist has taken many twists, turns and detours. When I was 12, I started painting with Richard Grovenor. I studied Graphic Design and Dance/Movement Therapy in a few of my college careers. Right now my passion is interior design, but I am interested in design in all forms, what color and design communicate and how it affects us every day in many ways ...
I've finally had time to sit down and really explore this site. I love, love, love it!
Best to you,
Judith

At 11:25am on June 5, 2008, SusiFranco said…: Thanks, Steven....I can't spend that much in the run-up to a show, but I definitely will in the near future, save me a bundle !! Thank you for posting this info !
Warmly:Susi

At 10:43am on June 5, 2008, Steven A. McGarry said…: Susi,

The name of the company is Inkjetfly.com. The CIS system that I have at present is called the "Bigfoot" and has the capacity of 4 oz. per color, which is roughly the equivalent of 10x the amount of Epson cartridges. The cost for the entire system including ink is $169.00 all instructions to set it up are included and it is a piece of cake. Video instructions are also on the website. Here is a link for your Epson 2200 and the CIS system: http://www.inkjetfly.com/index.php?cPath=180_96

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