"First Star" 30x30 inches
"I wanted To" 30x30 inches
"La Vie en Noire" 50x38 inches
"Peace Within" 40x40 inches
"New Dimension" 30x30 inches
"Life and Ideas" 30x24 inches
Next Level 30x30 inches
Voices of Hope 40x40 inches (available)
Wade the Streams of Light 38x50 inches (available)
*all paintings on canvas oil/acrylic/and some mixed media
- Where are you from originally and how does your hometown effect your creative work ?
Fressinier : I was born in Cognac, a city in the south west of France and I was raised nearby in a town called Saintes. Saintes is a town that was built by the Romans, a lot of their architecture still remains, including a coliseum, aqueducts, and other well-preserved ruins. I grew up surrounded by thousand year old churchs and Roman architecture and didn't really even know it or appreciate it, even tagged some of these things, but these are some of the elements that influenced me in my work especially in the beginning.
- What is your preferred medium when painting and why?
Fressinier : My preferred medium is oil because it allows me great flexibility and freedom. Oil is a very forgiving tool. It is possible to remove oil paint from your canvas, a brushstroke you made you can remove hours later if you think you made a mistake, but with acrylic paint if you place a brushtroke: once it is there, it is there.
- How do you select the subjects for your paintings ?
Fressinier : I select the subjects for my paintings by scrutinizing a large amount of photos I have collected over the years, photos I’ve taken from family and friends or the Internet until I find a face that inspires me and then I make it my own. I always try to add my own style to a figure or face, to make the subject a little less real, add some magic, so that the person is not someone you ever met before (unless I am painting a famous person!). My preferred style has always been figurative art. I was early on influenced by wonderful artists such as Ernst Fuchs, Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Foujita, and visionary, symbolic and surrealist artists. But the artists that probably had an influence on me that I didn't realize until later in life were my mother and father. They were portrait photographers and I think that my love for painting faces really probably comes from growing up in a photography studio.
- What’s your creative process like when approaching a new body of work ?
Fressinier : My process is simple: I have a vague idea of where I want to go, like what kind of color I would like to see or what composition I have never tried before. As the painting progresses I will let it tell me what it needs, instead of me forcing what I want. So, it is very much like a conversation between me and the piece.
- What influences your creative work / style ?
Fressinier : What influences my work is a multitude of things but I would say that seeing new things, traveling and discovering, refreshes my mind; all the images I see are stored and they get translated into my work when I am back in the studio.
When it comes to styles I like a lot of the old and the new. I have been fascinated by the very talented new wave of African-American painters that have appeared in the past 10 years, people like Nina Chanel Abney or Kehinde Wiley.
- How has your style evolved over the years ?
Fressinier : My work has evolved drastically.
In the beginning of my career I was using very little colors, progressively I became more and more at ease to explore all the wonderful beauty they provide.
- What’s the most memorable moment of your artist career to date ?
Fressinier : The most memorable moment is most likely a very successful show I had a few years ago in Las Vegas. It was a great feeling to realize that all this work I had done was being celebrated.
- What’s the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome in your artist career?
Fressinier : The biggest challenge I can think of is self doubt and not believing in myself. Interestingly, these thoughts I don’t remember having in the beginning of my career. When they appear in my mind I have learned by now, to ignore them and to keep pressing on.
- Do you experience creative blocks and if so how do you over come them ?
Fressinier : Thankfully I don’t have this problem. The remedy for me is to go with the flow. Like I said earlier, painting is just like having a conversation with the piece I am working on. In this dialogue, I have to start it, to bring some thing to the table; it could be just a splash of paint or a delicate sketch.
- Do you have any other artistic mediums aside from painting ?
Fressinier : Yes, another medium I have is working with nature. I enjoy in my backyard, growing a variety of fruit trees and plants. It is very rewarding to see the transformation the garden has to offer each season.
- Are their any particular projects you’re looking forward to creating this upcoming year ?
Fressinier : I am looking forward to have shows again at Martin Lawrence Galleries where I am represented. I am hopeful that 2022 will be the year where artists, collectors, and art lovers will have the opportunity to meet again and enjoy each other's company.
- For those who may not know, Where can more of your work be viewed ?
Fressinier : I have been represented for the past 12 years with the Martin Lawrence Galleries. They have 9 galleries throughout the United States. I am also on Facebook (Art of Francois Fressinier) and Instagram @francoisfressinier.
