{"id":3704,"date":"2023-05-21T20:24:24","date_gmt":"2023-05-21T20:24:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.susaneleyfineart.com\/news\/?p=3704"},"modified":"2023-05-21T21:02:14","modified_gmt":"2023-05-21T21:02:14","slug":"francie-hester-featured-in-m-stamps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.susaneleyfineart.com\/news\/?p=3704","title":{"rendered":"Francie Hester featured in “M STAMPS”"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Francie Hester on new exhibition, advice for students<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Francie Hester (BFA<\/span>\u00a0\u200b\u2019<\/span>83<\/span>) is an internationally recognized visual artist whose work is represented in numerous private and corporate collections, including the World Bank, Airbus, Capital One, and the International Monetary Fund.<\/p>\n

In this Q&<\/span>A, Francie reflects on her Stamps experience, career, and upcoming exhibition: the\u00a0Axis\u00a0<\/em>series.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

You\u2019ve had quite the career. How would you describe it?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have been working as a\u00a0full-time visual artist for over\u00a035<\/span>\u00a0years. I\u00a0graduated from the Stamps School in\u00a01983<\/span>\u00a0with a\u00a0BFA<\/span>\u00a0and an\u00a0MFA<\/span>\u00a0from the University of Maryland in\u00a01994<\/span>. Early in my career, I\u00a0ran several art nonprofit exhibition spaces in Washington,\u00a0DC<\/span>.<\/p>\n

For the past thirty-plus years, I\u00a0have maintained an active visual art practice, painting on sculpted materials\u2009\u2013\u2009aluminum, steel, and plexiglass. I\u00a0have also dedicated my time to site-specific and site-inspired installation work centering around art and healing. I\u00a0am represented by\u00a0Susan Eley Fine Art<\/a>, which has locations in New York City on the Lower East Side and Hudson, New York. I\u00a0also work with a\u00a0variety of art consultants to place my work. This work ranges from placement in private homes to large-scale atrium pieces.<\/p>\n

What does your typical day on the job look\u00a0like?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have two large autobody shops in Kensington, Maryland, where I\u00a0do the bulk of my large-scale pieces. I\u00a0also have a\u00a0smaller light-filled studio in Boulder, Colorado. My daily practice is to paint every day, and I\u00a0have an ongoing dedication to my drawing practice. The work is a\u00a0mix of commission work and work for exhibitions.<\/p>\n

What kind of art do you create?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I work principally on sculpted aluminum, steel, and plexiglass in a\u00a0process-based practice that builds pixilated and vibrant pigments in deep layers with patterns of drips, grids, and fragmented shapes that are then deconstructed through sanding, scraping, drilling, and cutting to reveal the finished textured surfaces. It is physical work and keeps me humble and inspired!<\/p>\n

What was your experience at Stamps like?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Stamps takes an innovative approach to arts education, which is mostly self-directed. I\u00a0learned about the inherent challenges and the discipline needed to create a\u00a0body of work. As a\u00a0student, I\u00a0was equipped with life-long skills. Stamps teaches us the importance of engagement with the community.<\/p>\n

Any advice for Stamps students?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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    Follow your interests.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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    Take the time at Stamps to develop skills.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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    Build a\u00a0network and community.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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    What are you currently working on? Do you have any exhibitions or events coming up?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    I have an\u00a0exhibition opening<\/a>\u00a0May\u00a011<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 July\u00a01<\/span>\u00a0at\u00a0SEFA<\/span><\/a>\u2009\u2014\u2009at their Lower East Side location. The opening is May\u00a018<\/span>\u00a0from\u00a06<\/span>\u2009\u2013\u20098<\/span>, and all are welcome! Find me on Instagram at @franciehesterart\u00a0<\/a>and\u00a0DM<\/span>\u00a0me\u2009\u2014\u2009I would be happy to meet any Stamps students at the gallery during the exhibition.<\/p>\n

    I will be presenting a\u00a0new series\u2014Axis<\/em>\u00a0series.<\/p>\n

    In the\u00a0Axis<\/em>\u00a0series, recollection pivots around vivid, etched markers of moments, days, and events\u2009\u2014\u2009an axis of reference points.\u00a0Axis\u00a0<\/em>includes a\u00a0constellation of\u00a050<\/span>\u00a0sculpted pieces and separate six-foot pieces, all sculpted aluminum, and plexiglass in the shape of\u00a0\u200b\u201c<\/span>X.\u201d<\/p>\n

    The exhibition also includes\u00a0Crossing Lines<\/em>, drawing on the literal and figurative uses of the word\u00a0\u200b\u201c<\/span>line\u201d\u2009\u2014\u2009bloodlines, headlines, lines of civic boundaries and individual identity, and lines that are emotional, spiritual, and physical;\u00a0Confluence<\/em>, exploring the potential for abstraction to meaningfully engage memory through fluid surfaces that interrelate with imperfections of recollection;\u00a0Convex<\/em>, examining pathways and repetition that create patterns and cycles of memories\u2009\u2014\u2009ones lost and found;\u00a0Strata<\/em>, an ongoing series that began as a\u00a0series of chants stripped of imagery in the deafening silence after the Twin Towers went down, and reflects a\u00a0diary chronicling the layering of days; and\u00a0Vessels<\/em>, gentle arcs that create a\u00a0space for reflection, contemplation, healing\u2009\u2014\u2009thought, time and memory come together as a\u00a0fluid collective.<\/p>\n

    ***<\/p>\n

    To view more of Francie Hester\u2019s work, visit her website at\u00a0www\u200b.fran\u200bciehester\u200b.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    The original article from M STAMPS is available at this link<\/a>. All text credit to M STAMPS interviewer.<\/p>\n

    Hester’s solo exhibition Axis<\/em> at SEFA NYC is on view through July 1st, with additional text and images available at this link<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Francie Hester on new exhibition, advice for students Francie Hester (BFA\u00a0\u200b\u201983) is an internationally recognized visual artist whose work is represented in numerous private and corporate collections, including the World Bank, Airbus, Capital One, and the International Monetary Fund. In this Q&A, Francie reflects on her Stamps experience, career, and upcoming exhibition: the\u00a0Axis\u00a0series. You\u2019ve had …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3706,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.susaneleyfineart.com\/news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3704","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.susaneleyfineart.com\/news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.susaneleyfineart.com\/news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.susaneleyfineart.com\/news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.susaneleyfineart.com\/news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3704"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.susaneleyfineart.com\/news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3704\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3713,"href":"https:\/\/www.susaneleyfineart.com\/news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3704\/revisions\/3713"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.susaneleyfineart.com\/news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.susaneleyfineart.com\/news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3704"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.susaneleyfineart.com\/news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3704"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.susaneleyfineart.com\/news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3704"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}