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ill titleNAL Artist's Galleries -  Fran Orchard

Media: Painting & Photography
 website:
email: orch@att.net

Fran Orchard - Artist/Photographer

Here's a little bit about me and what I think about art.

Art to me is about an expression of style. And style is an expression of self. It can be realistic or not. I think it is as simple as that. Some artists express themselves in a very controlled manner, while others have a loose interpretation of the subject or use of a medium. I do some of both. I try a lot of different techniques -- whatever the mood inspires me to do.

My favorite medium is acrylic paint. I also enjoy sketching with pencils and painting with watercolors, pastels or ink. But my second favorite form of expression next to painting is photography. I believe it is possible to capture beauty almost as true as the real thing with a camera and sometimes a good photo can be even more interesting, more evocative than the real thing actually was. That's where the art comes in.

While in college I studied art and commercial design for several semesters before turning to other pursuits. But I never stopped reading about art, drawing pictures and taking photos. While I didn't finish my graduate school thesis, I had planned to craft it around the art and theories of Piet Mondrian whose ideas and work continue to intrigue me intellectually. Monet and Van Gogh also are among my favorite artists. Over the years I have won some awards for my paintings and photographs but I really don't care about that so much, although it is very gratifying to know that some people like the work.

Art is an expression of the human spirit. Personally, I do art because it is a way to actualize a feeling or impression. Like all artists I struggle to refine the feeling or message in each piece until I'm satisfied it is as good as I can make it at the time.Sometimes I think the work is pretty good; sometimes it is not at all as I had envisioned. Nevertheless, I continue to try and, more importantly, I continue to enjoy the journey.

ill titleGallery                                 Click photo below for full gallery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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