Angelo Franco

Born in Guayaquil, Ecuador in 1950. Lives and paints in the mid-Hudson Valley, New York.  

Artist's Statement

Over the last fifteen years, I have been striving for a personal expression and style, experimenting with different mediums and techniques.  I have worked in three-dimensional wall hangings, sculpture, and painting with oils, acrylics, gouache, and pastels, and have recently abandoned brushes in favor of a home made device used for controlling the application of color to the canvas.   In the landscape series, which is inspired by the beauty of the Hudson Valley, I work from sketches and photographs of the area, including the paintings from the Hudson River School of artists.   I apply dabs of color, super-imposed, with the appearance of a random selection over the whole surface.  This allows the colors to be independent of  form.  The forms ie; mountains, sky, water, reflections, shadows, are recognized through contrasting color, but details are ignored. This exploration is attempted in my still life and portrait paintings as well, some of which are reduced further, experimenting with only black and white. In trying to reproduce the light and mood of a subject, any subject, I am experimenting with simple composition and tonality.  Color contrast is emphasized, and is at times monochromatic. Feeling and mood in my paintings plays a more important role than form.  The art that emerges is not an imitation of reality. It is an artistic process in which only color conveys the essence of the image or scene, minimizing details.  Each new work is a serious search to capture only the essential characteristics of the subject.

Education

• 1976 - 1980   Art Students League, New York City, Painting Scholarship.
• 1975 - 1976   Portland Fine Art School, Portland, Maine.  Drawing and painting. 
• 1973 - 1974   City University of New York at Queens College.  Drawing and painting. 

Group Exhibitions

• 2004: Angelo Franco, Olena Zvyagintseva, and Adrian Ryan, Galerie Timothy Tew, Atlanta, GA.
• 2003: “Contrasts”, Angelo Franco, Auguste Garufi & Jonathan Sobol, Galerie Timothy Tew, Atlanta, GA.
• 2002: "Fifteenth Anniversary Show", Galerie Timothy Tew, Atlanta, GA.
• 1999: Group Show, Cove Gallery, Wellfleet, MA
• 1998: Group Show, Lorraine Kessler Gallery, Poughkeepsie,NY.
• 1997: "Romantic Realities", 450 Broadway Gallery, NY.
• 1997: "Hudson Valley Landscapes", Lorraine Kessler Gallery, Poughkeepsie, NY.
• 1996: Group Show, Lorraine Kessler Gallery,Poughkeepsie, NY