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 Graham Franciose was born and raised in
Massachusetts and has been interested in creating stuff for as long as he can
remember. He grew up in a very creative family; his father is a jeweler and his
mother spent some time in art school and is just an all around creative lady.
Graham grew up reading comic books and skateboarding, both of which have had an
influence on his style of art. He graduated from the Hartford Art School at the
University of Hartford in 2005 with a BFA in illustration. After a short time
doing freelance illustration, he decided to concentrate more on his own personal
work. Graham's first show outside of college was in Baton Rouge, LA. Since then
he has shown in various group shows throughout the United States; in Colorado,
Louisiana, California, Maryland and Texas. He recently moved to Austin TX where
he has been featured in a number of shows and just recently had a solo show.
Graham’s work has been featured in Aeries publication, CMYK magazine, the
Hartford Art School Catalog, the Boston Science Museum and
Juxtapoz.com.
Artist Statement:
I feel my works often provide
viewers with a glimpse into a story. Not, necessarily not a climactic part of
the story, but rather a character’s more contemplative or reflective moment. My
works are not illustrative in the traditional sense; I don't come up with the
story first and then illustrate it. Instead, I work more backwards than the
norm, starting with some simple pencil marks that form into something, usually a
character – their posture, position, shape, etc. then determines what context I
create for them. From there the images sort of build upon themselves, each mark
determining what will come next. It's a very free and spontaneous process. I
don't work from preliminary sketches, instead I draw right on the painting,
finishing it up with paint or pen and ink. Only then, after looking at the final
piece, is when I may figure out the story’s framework. But because of this
process, the story will be a different experience for everyone. I think there is
an ambiguity to my work that allows people to connect with what's going on
individually and personally. There is never a concrete idea/story being
presented, so all images are inherently open to interpretation. Because of this
aspect within my work, I want the viewers at Art Whino to be involved and shed
some insight on the paintings. There will be pads and pens available for people
to record the story they see, whether it is a sentence, poem, paragraph, or
tale. Hopefully, the different perspectives will create an interesting
experience for everyone and bring an exciting element to the show. When the show
has comes to an end, I plan to publish the stories along side the paintings in a
book.
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