Success of an artist hangs by a thread
(Local painter Nick Franco hopes his art tightens the thread between artist and viewer)
By Ernest McIntyre
May 5, 2004



No one has to tell Nick Franco that the success of an artist often hangs by a thread. You can tell he knows that by checking out his exhibition at the @Central Gallery in the downtown Phoenix public library.

It's not unusual for artists to paint what is true for them, even if they're unaware that their subconscious has found its way onto the canvas. Franco is unusual because he knows what he paints is what he is feeling.

"The paintings are autobiographical," Franco says as he walks past his works hanging on maple-paneled walls. "They reflect the feelings of happiness, placidity or frustration I felt while painting."

He talks about avoiding the repetition of style and instead choosing the diversity of mood and emotion. You can hear both the learning student and the learned teacher in his voice.

"I was raised in El Paso and studied art at Colorado State University," he says before moving to the next painting. He moved to Phoenix two years ago. Franco is now an artist in residence at Phoenix's Arts Resource Department.

"I get to further my own education while at the same time educating others," he explains.

The explanation of his journey into switching majors in college make him smile.

"I was drawn to art from childhood and began college fully intending to become a financially successful graphic designer."

An experimental painting class inspired him to change majors and brave the rocky world of fine art.

"This is not a hobby for me," Franco says, with arms slightly crossed. "And yet, I am the only professional artist in my family."

A long silence fills the room before he continues.

"Most people will tell you that it's too risky, especially when you have a family t o consider. My wife and child are my greatest support and inspiration to make it as a painter."

The inspiration for his current exhibition came to him at home. He was looking out of his bedroom window and was struck by a tree's elongated shadows running in and out of the window frame. He grabbed his brushes, dipped them into acrylic paint and painted his inner visions onto blank canvases. When the series was well on its way, he discovered that his overlapping and intersecting shapes reminded different people of different things.

"Some people see lightning, some tree limbs and some twisting cloths," says Prudence Crosswhite, director of the @Central Gallery. "When asked, most people say the exhibition is a huge success."

The artist smiles, but remains silent. No one has to tell Nick Franco that the success of an artist often hangs by a thread.



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