Online Interview in my Studio
I am being interviewed by FibreArtsTakeTwo on September 2nd 9 am UK time
I shall be sitting in my studio with a cup of tea being interviewed by Tara Axford in Sydney, you are all welcome to watch live and post questions
The link for You Tube is
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqIbXeLtb5E
and Facebook link is
https://www.facebook.com/fibreartstaketwo/videos/795519884811856
I have even tidied up my space a bit! If you can’t make it live then you can always go on catch up later.
At long last a 'real' Art Fair rather than online!!!
I’m happy to announce that I shall be taking part in a show with 4 other artists this September. Feels so good to be exhibiting again after all this time.
It is held at The Old Fire Station 52 Market place, Henley-on-Thames RG9 2AG from Thursday 16th September until Tuesday 21st. Open daily from 10am - 5 pm
It is a lovely venue in this Historic town and hope to see some of you there, have a glass of wine with myself and the other artists on the Saturday 4pm - 7pm. (lots of lovely restaurants nearby to make an evening of it!)
I shall be exhibiting some of my new wire and tin horses along with some birds as well
They are approx 45cm high and are very happy to trot off home with you
Christmas Greetings to you all and wishing for a much brighter 2021
This has been a momentous year for us all and I’d just like to reach out personally to all of you who follow my work, leave comments and offer new homes to some of my pieces. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart, many of you I do not know personally but I feel we are all a camaraderie and I appreciate every single one of you.
I have been fortunate in being able to lockdown and continue working, I made that small flock this December for a venue that has been cancelled but most of them have found homes now.
I also offered online one of my larger textile dogs, a rare occurrence, the ‘Little Sitting Dog’ was inspired by a real one and its story is on my shop page
Little Sitting Dog. 44cm H x 35cm L x 28cm W
I also wanted to mark this exceptional year in my own way, we have been staying indoors for so much of the time and I decided to paint a series of Armchairs, our welcome comforters at home and haven’t we all been doing a lot of sitting down!!! They are my own commemorative response to this year, 5 in total all painted on 250g/sqm paper with acrylics, charcoal, pencil and crayon.
Staying Strong! 25cm x 20.5cm
Old Friends I. 42cm x 29cm
Still Close Friends I 42cm x 28cm
This is Colossal. Article about my work
Lovely news to see an article about my metal pieces in This is Colossal plated by chance on my birthday! They did run a small article about me several years ago but this one is now updated and a vast compliment .
Excuse my enthusiasm if I send this out to my past clients !
https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2020/10/barbara-franc-metal-sculptures/
October......the month of the Dog for me
So October has been a busy month all revolving around my textile dogs for me with three different venues.
The first is Ruup and Form, a gallery in Hampstead, London which has managed to stay open and welcome visitors in to see the show “Stories we tell’ it is a textile exhibition with myself and three other artists. It opened with London Craft Week and is continuing until the 6th Nov.
I am exhibiting three of my dogs there, almost a pack!
‘Tapestry Lurcher’ on the left, then ‘Little Sitting Dog’ in the centre and ‘Artemis’ Hunting Hound’ on the right
The next exhibition is an online one for charity to raise funds for the very endangered African Painted Dog, a much misunderstood creature that was the subject of one of David Attenborough incredible ‘Dynasty’ TV series. I made my version of a Painted Dog/Wolf, African Hunting Dog (they have a lot of names) and it is still available until Nov 5th (I think)
My beautiful Painted Dog, I had such fun in choosing the right fabrics for this piece, even managed to find some African print.
A lovely face of this stunning creature
The last exhibition is one that will run until Apri 6th 2021 and I hope I’ll be able to get to see it in person! It is an exhibition all about Denim and its place in history, the Show is called ‘Denim’ (surprise , surprise) and is to be seen in Basel, Switzerland at the Spielzeug Museum. It is such a privilege to be part of this huge Exhibition and see my dog on a plinth in a glass case!
My denim dog, made from a friends old jeans and shirts, I wanted to keep as many of the old seams in as possible.
There he is amongst all the other many exhibits
September 2020
It was a surprise to be contacted on FB by an 11 year old from Ecuador who wanted to write about me for his homework project! We corresponded and I’m pleased to say he got 10/10 for it.
Very uplifting that at times our World is a small place
August, a small respite to see people
It was possible to hold my postponed textile animal workshop this August. All Covid precautions were taken and the students made some amazing work. It was held over 4 days at Phoenix Studio Gallery in Towersey nr Thame, Oxon. We started off in the very large studio and outside marquee but after the third day the winds destroyed the tent and weather permitting, work could carry on outdoors until the last day when we scattered indoors in every available safe distanced space. Challenging but an enormous relief to be able to work with a creative group again.
Also made a little textile Airedale that found it’s way to a new home in Australia
The spacious marquee
Oooops, the wind had a say in the matter!
The little Airedale destined as a surprise present
The Airedale
July and it's a painting month for me
This July, I became engrossed with painting and for some reason I wanted to do big old comfy armchairs full of their own history and stories. I’m sure it a reflection on the amount of ‘down-time’ we have all been having.
I surprised myself at how much I like these small painted sketches, ideas are flooding in to pursue them a bit more.
Also did a couple of ink sketches of some of my sculptures.
These two chairs reminded me of the old friends, Sir John Betjeman and John Piper (both of whom I have been fortunate to have met). they just never stopped talking and giggling
‘Not talking’
A comfy old armchair
‘Nothing to say to you’
An old friend
Sketch of one of my fabric dogs in ink
‘Mr Blue’ the Greyhound in inks
May 2020
A lovely surprise to be asked by someone to make a small version of her friend’s Greyhound ‘Mr Blue’ as a surprise present, I asked if she would like one using textiles or one sculpted from harder materials. She could not decide so I made both versions for her to choose from , the fabric one won! The other found a home, very soon after.
The two versions of Mr Blue the Greyhound with his very particular markings. Scale wise the taller one stands at 37cm high
The one made from wire, paper and epoxy resin
The textile version in playful pose
February, March and April 2020
Life is slowly changing and lockdown in London is difficult and distressing for many, we are blessed to live next door to a park so that I can see greenery all around us and we were also lucky to have taken over an old allotment, a safe haven and we feel lucky to have this distraction.
Over these three months I finished off three commissions that I was fortunate to have to keep me occupied, a Magpie for a Newcastle FC fan, a Cat full of mementos from the client and a Badger to commemorate a Grandfather, I received a very eclectic mix of objects to incorporate into this piece, he was a very interesting man and I hope I did his memory justice. All three pieces are life size.
The ‘Newcastle’Magpie
The Cat, sitting quietly
‘Brock’ the Badger with old wristwatches, clothes brushes, tobacco pouches and pipes to name a few of the personal items incorporated. The most intriguing being a plastic mite, the gentleman had been a research animal Veterinarian in Africa .
Old dog leads, military insignia and white pipe cleaners are all to be found on the head of the Badger.
Start of the year catch up January 2020
With everything going on in the World at the moment, I have been neglecting my website, I’m normally fairly active on Social Media but my own page has suffered so here is what I was up to pre-shutdown.
January, the start of 2020, who knew what the rest of the year would bring? My own year started with three really exciting projects, work for a very prestigious London Hotel, window displays for the flagship of a Gentleman’s outfitter and the exciting prospect to do concept work for an American Film……..all those disappeared as the World went into meltdown. Covid has been very hard, especially for all the solo artists like me whose exhibitions and opportunities crumbled away.
However, it did afford the time to reflect and find other ways forward. I made a few pieces that lovely people had commissioned, so grateful to them and the Cockerel was the first piece of the year and can be found at the Pinkfoot Gallery, Cley-next-theSea, North Norfolk
https://www.pinkfootgallery.co.uk/sculptors/
‘Independent Spirit’ the Cockerel stands at 45cm High
Christmas is coming
My online shop is stocked up with birds for the Festive Season and two of my little Lurchers can be found in the Winter Mixed Show at the Whitehouse Gallery, Kirkcudbright. They are both being ‘Doggies in the Window!”
www.whitehousegallery.co.uk
The White Hound , mixed media 35cm H x 44cm L x 15cm W
The silken Lurcher, textiles and wire, 38cm H x 45cm L x 16ch W
Third piece of July news!
I feel very flattered that one of my fabric dogs is on display at Gallery@Oxo, Southbank London in a group show of British Contemporary Art featuring the works of Banksy, Peter Blake, Gavin Turk and Bruce McLean (to name a few) WOW ! It is on from 10th July- 21st July and well with a visit
www.iaysha.com
Second bit of July news
I was approached by the award winning wildlife photography team, Amanda and Owen Barrett to be part of their show in Wells , Somerset to celebrate Badgers. It is to raise awareness of this much maligned large mammal that deserves to be championed in the current climate. The exhibition runs from tyh - 27th July at the A2 Gallery.
My ‘Bisto’ the Badger is made from a whole assortment of objects from old bicycle gears, Singer sewing machine parts to typewriter keys and several toy metal farmyard cows (just to show they could live in harmony!)
I’m delighted to be showing amongst the 26 artists from the UK especially two sculptors whom I admire, Adam Binder and Nick Mackman More about all the artists in the link below.
‘Bisto’ the life size Badger
First July News
July has been a very busy month for me….not sure why, everything turned up at once!
First of all I completed a Hare made from a whole variety of ‘up-cycled’ objects that was commissioned by Ontario Science Centre in Toronto. I was contacted ‘out of the blue’ by them as they have a display case in their museum that is for artists using recycling methods to create something new. I was delighted to have been approached by them but I had a very strict set of dimensions that the completed piece had to be within to fit into its own space in the case. It was a very interesting sculpt as the base it could sit on was small (6” x 8”) and the finished height could only be 13” max but I’m happy to say it is now happily in Canada!
Ontario Hare 32cm High
Possibly the Hare’s last view of greenery from my workroom window before being crated up for its journey
Summer Design Collection in Glasgow
The wonderful Roger Billcliffe Gallery is hosting their Summer exhibition from 27th June- 31st July.
three of my pieces will be on show up there in Glasgow, two of my textile dogs and this new piece ‘Chicken with attitude’
If you are in the area please do drop in to have a look. 134 Blythswood St, Glasgow G2 4EL
Skylark Galleries Summer Exhibition 19th June- 30th June 2019 Gallery@Oxo, Oxo Tower Wharf, London Southbank
One of my fabric hounds is proudly standing in the window for this wonderful summer show on the Southbank.
Skylark Galleries are run by a group of a professional artists who are also at hand to talk to visitors about their work. If you see something you like you can take it away with you straight away rather than have to wait for the end of the show.
Entrance is free and part of the profits will be given to Evelina Children’s Heart Organisation
The show runs from 19th June - 30th June daily 11am- 6pm + late opening until 7pm Thurs, Fri, Sat
Elegant Black Hound 51cm H x 72cm L x 22cm W
Hound made with a strong wire armature, and vintage textiles with some embroidery
How much is that doggy in the window? Hanging Day at Gallery @Oxo 18th June——-opening night tomorrow 19th June
Pinkfoot Gallery Cat Show 25st May - 2nd June
sorry this post is so late, but you can keep up with my news via Insta or FB as I’m a bit more active there!!!!
This Cat themed Show in beautiful Cley next the Sea was full of felines, three of mine were to be found prowling around.
‘One in a Million’ made from a huge selection of found objects including plastic dinosaurs and typewriter keys.
a Cat called ‘Lion at Heart’
‘Thimble Tip’ the cat
Dog Show at Chatsworth House during May 2019
I was very happy to be invited to take part in this year’s Chatsworth House dog-themed exhibition held in the VIP area of the Dodson & Horrell International Horse trials. It was a privilege to be part of the show.
‘Artemis’ Hound’ found a new home after the show, the tapestry fabric with all the animals woven into the design was such an appropriate find.
58cm H 66cm L x 26cm W