Look Again

This is yet another gorgeous Rhode Island moment I captured when I lived in Saunderstown. I was walking down Boston Neck Road around 7:00 am on a brilliant Saturday morning, doing my physical therapy like a good girl. There is a road right after Casey Farms that goes all the way down to the water; the trees form a canopy over it. As I walked by that morning, this heavenly light was filtering through those canopied trees..it absolutely stopped me in my tracks. I scurried back home, got in the car with my camera and hustled back to catch the light before even a ray of it changed. That photograph was my reference for this painting.

I love that a locale that we have perhaps seen ( and overlooked) thousands of times before can suddenly become compelling, viewed from another perspective. The meditation for this painting is "The weed you curse today may tomorrow be a lilly" ( -anon). I have learned it is important to be open to the opportunity to see something or someone in a new way; it can become truly serendipitous. This oil on canvas is 11"x14" and has alot of knife texture built up in the trees. It also features luminescent oils, which have a deep, color-shifting pleasing mineral sort of quality. This work may be purchased at www.FineArtBySusiFranco.com. all work copyrighted 2001-2008 Susi Franco.

There is an amazing place here in Rhode Island, between Saunderstown and Wickford that attracts literally hundreds of photographers, artists and nature lovers yearly. In mid to late August, depending upon the weather, a truly resplendent lilly pond complete with arched bridge blooms into life. I like to think Monet would have appreciated it, perhaps even painted it.

Just seeing those majestic flowers is awe-inspiring, and every year no matter what pain or suffering or disappointment we may have endured, those magical lillies awaken and stir the poet within. This little 6"x6" oil on canvas is my humble homage to the lilly pond that blossoms only once a year. :) I have therefore titled it that, "Only Once A Year" . The meditation for this work is somewhat more lengthy than usual, but most apt....

"And I, who neared the the goal of all my nature, felt my soul at the climax of it's yearning, suddenly as it ought, grow calm with rapture". ( -Dante, The Divine Comedy)

I think too often, in the busyness of everyday living, we lose touch completely with the natural world. Man's spiritual growth and even his survival is intimately interwoven with Nature and to forget that invites peril & catastrophe to our species. The time has come in our world for us to stop the madness, take a breath, return to Nature and all Her healing; the world is too much with us all. I like to think my little lilly painting may be a small step in the right direction. You may go to www.FineArtBySusiFranco.com to purchase this work. All work here copyrighted 2001-2008 Susi Franco.

This is another of my dreamy landscapes-I enjoy creating them so much. These small works are idlyllic in nature...someplace you can deposit your cares and worries and just be, feel the glory of being alive and peaceful, if even only for a few moments. That is my goal for the work.

This little 5"x7" oil on panel is titled "Dreams Grow Here" and features heavy impasto knife texture in the buttery foreground flowers.
I like to think it leads you in, lets you breathe the sweetness of the place. :) The meditation for this work is: "Every exit is an entry somewhere else"- Tom Stoppard

We often think when something has ended in our lives that Life itself must also stop or halt. That mindset utterly obliterates every possibility that is out there waiting for you to discover it.
It is my hope this little painting may remind you to consider the infinite"what-if's" of tomorrow.
As with all my work, this can be purchased securely through www.FineArtBySusiFranco.com. Questions ?...you can write me at Circe2001@aol.com , I'll answer promptly.
Copyright 2001-2008 Susi Franco, all images

I am blessed to live very close to the ocean, less than a block away. On nights warm enough to have my windows open, I am lulled to sleep by the sound of surf crashing on the rocks. Life here at the beach is very different from life in the city; it is a slower pace, infinitely more serene ( except during tourist season :) and people smile and speak as you pass. I love walking by the sea wall every day , seeing the color the ocean is that particular day ( it changes with the weather & season), watching the cheeky gulls swoop in and out looking for someones' neglected sandwich to steal.

I know every inch of the horizon and cherish it. When I am troubled or spirit-weary, a walk by the ocean is always my best medicine. I take reference photos often and use them in my studio, and this painting was born from one of those. It is a 6"x6" oil and is titled "Narragansett Saturday"....I think I have captured the clouds and waves well, the angular rocks jutting out low into the water. This work features a bit of impasto done with knife; I very much like using that effect to suggest the foam on waves. I hope it gives you a moment of thought, of peace, a desire to see "My" Narragansett. :) The meditation for this work is:

"Trust to that prompting within you"-Ralph Waldo Emerson.

I didn't think of myself as a plein aire painter til I obeyed the urge to go to the sea wall and paint; now I derive great joy from it, something I was convinced I wouldn't like. It is important for us to listen to that inner voice...most of the time it is instructing us to utilize tools which are organic to our happiness. Any good weather weekend you'll now find me at the beach, easel up and work under way; it is a source of deep satisfaction.

As with all my work, you can purchase securely at www.FineArtBySusiFranco.com. Thanks for taking a moment to look. copyright Susi Franco 2008

Daily Painting-Prairie Palace

This little work was inspired by a trip to Arizona, where I was surprised to find lush gardens and verdant vistas instead of the vast empty deserts and cacti I expected. :) It seemed every corner of the landscape contained a jewel of a view, all potential paintings. I offer you this version of a little cabin I saw, surrounded by a wild riot of color, a bed of flowers that delighted the eye and senses. The meditation for this work is: "What we see depends on mainly what we look for."(-John Lubbock). This little work reminds me to keep an open mind and eye. :)
It is 8"x10", with sides painted so framing is unnecessary. It features heavy texture done with palette knife and the color just sparkles. You may purchase it securely at www.FineArtBySusiFranco.com.