Founded in 2011 by special needs athlete, artist & autism ambassador - Patrick Francis and author / curator Lesley Francis, Absolutely Awetistic Arts aims to showcase phenomenal talent in art, sport and design while promoting positive community awareness on multiculturalism and disability.
Directed and curated by this dynamic duo, the extensive progam includes international art exhibitions, slideshows, videos and numerous publications including:
Bird Tales
Athlete & Artist
Poetic Paintings
Absolutely Awetistic Arts
My Arts Project Adventures
with several others in the pipeline.
Special needs Artists and Designers are selected internationally to create and submit intriguing works in various formats - paintings, installation, photography, projection or video to highlight a wide range of approaches by talent from different backgrounds in order to enhance our understanding of their abilities as contributing members of society.
The thin line between art and design is often blurred and Absolutely Awetistic Arts provides a platform for creatives to push boundaries and build partnerships while utilising exhibition and publication opportunities not often available in Australia.
About Patrick Francis
Patrick Francis, 24 years, is an enthusiastic, emerging Australian artist and athlete, from a culturally and linguistically diverse background, who is autistic with an intellectual disability. He studied at Brunswick Special Developmental School where he first participated in art competitions and exhibitions in 2005, and is presently working part-time, since leaving school in 2009, at each of the following places :
-Arts Project Australia
-Absolutely Awetistic Arts
-Artful Dodgers Studio
-Footscray Community Arts Centre
Patrick Francis’ paintings explore aspects of his personal experience, resulting in distilled images that representvarious portraits and still-life. Often utilising acrylic on paper / acrylic on canvas as his chosen medium, Francis uses bold colour as an expressive tool, focusing his and the viewers' attention on key elements in his paintings whether they be portraits of his idolsor drawing from life, as well as using source material taken from magazines and fine art publications. This process has allowed himto successfully develop his sensitive line, composition and application of colour, resulting in highly considered andrefined drawings.
Despite inadequate communication, Patrick strives to express himself through his impressive paintings which he has exhibitedin Australian and overseas galleries winning several awards, featured online and in news articles frequently.
"Compelled by famous and infamous historical and celebrity icons, Patrick Francis paints a variety of subjects including portraiture and still life. Transforming Little Woods Gallery into a strange pop-culture vortex, the walls are covered with images of Nicki Minaj, Kylie Minogue, Blondie, Robbie Williams and Madonna – all wide eyed and smiling. A range of big cats are also presented here using vivid blocks of blended matte and metallic colours." - Amy-Jo Jory, Curator - Little Woods Gallery.
Patrick Francis’ work can currently be seen as part of Melbourne Now at the NGV, and he has been invited to show as part of Australia’s premiere art event – the 2014 Sydney Biennale. In 2012, Patrick Francis also won the prestigious Art & Australia Contemporary Art Award.
Patrick Francis is a Melbourne-based artist who has been working as a participant at Artful Dodgers Studios in the musicand art studios, and is an artist at Arts Project Australia, Footscray Community Arts and Absolutely Awetistic Arts.
Patrick Francis
Posted on April 15, 2014 by Christiane Keys-Statham
http://buriedatsea.org/2014/04/15/patrick-francis-safari-2014/
Patrick Francis is a prolific and successful painter, with a strong style and highly confident approach. His form of portrait painting employs methods used in times long past: a directorial approach in the studio, the deconstruction of the subject, bold and expressive use of colour, and an extreme simplification of the pictorial plane.
Francis’ use of colour recalls the intensity of modernist movements such as Fauvism and German Expressionism: stripping backan image to its main components, Francis directs studio assistants to select the exact colour required for each section, addingthese to more detailed under-drawings. This selective process indicates that the artist places great importance on colour, itsemotive value and the power it holds within the image itself. For Francis, colour is loaded with meaning: it holds the key to thecharacters he paints, conveying their state of mind, their roles and their situation to the viewer. Form and contours are flattened,becoming bright planes of colour. However, subtleties also exist in the edges of these colour blocks, gentle gradations giving way to sudden changes that catch the eye and hint at the hidden depths of perspective and detail within the layers of paint.
Patrick Francis places just as much importance in the selection of his subjects as in the selection of colour used to create them. Hissource material is found in images of art history classics, pop culture and film icons, and other mass media material. Francis alsodraws from facets of his daily life in Melbourne, and his sporting and community interests.
For SafARI 2014, the works selected by the curators are based on art historical source material, and include portraits of Bette Davis as Queen Elizabeth, the Mona Lisa, Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring and a head from a Ned Kelly painting by Sidney Nolan. The jolt of recognition experienced by the viewer when coming across one of these paintings is quickly replaced by astonishment that the artist could capture the essence of such famous images with his deceptively reductive style. Francis’ deconstruction of the portrait is a way of seeking out the emotional truth of the subject: a search that distills the portrait into a purer form ofrepresentation, a portrait cleansed of its social and political implications. In Francis’ work, the individual’s essence shines through;engaging the viewer long after the initial shock of identification has passed.
Francis is a Melbourne-based artist who has been working with Arts Project Australia since 2009. His work received the Art & Australia / Credit Suisse Private Banking Contemporary Art Award in 2012, and has been shown in exhibitions nationally including at Arts Project Australia in Melbourne, Sheffer Gallery in Sydney, Tanks Art Centre in Cairns, and at the 2012 Melbourne Art Fair. In 2013, he was selected to participate in Melbourne Now at the National Gallery of Victoria. His work is also held in a numberof private collections nationally.
SafARI Artist Profile: Patrick Francis
Patrick Francis is a young contemporary artist based in Melbourne, Victoria. Born in 1991, Francis began exhibiting in 2009 at the tender age of 18. Since then he has been the 2012 recipient of the Art & Australia / Credit Suisse Private Banking Contemporary Art Award and also in 2012 was the featured artist for Arts Project Australia at the Melbourne Art Fair. In 2013 Francis was featured in the Autumn edition of Art & Australia and held two exhibitions; At the Table, Arts Project Australia, Melbourne and Classic Albums, Tanks Art Centre, Cairns.
Francis usually works with acrylic on paper where he uses bold colours as an expressive tool combined with his signature blocks of colour. His paintings often reference imagery from art history and visual culture. Despite the images often distorted depictions, Francis presents something that feels honest and real.
We spoke to Sim Luttin, Gallery Manager and Curator at Arts Project Australia who answered on behalf of Patrick Francis, giving us insight into how and why Patrick creates the contemporary images we are sure to see more of.
What was Patrick’s earliest memory of art? Was this something he was always drawn to?
Patrick Francis has been creating art since he was young. He began exhibiting at Arts Project Australia in 2009 when he was 18 years old.
What inspires and influences him?
A prolific painter, Francis works primarily in acrylic on paper. His paintings draw from his own personal experiences, from first hand encounters with Melbourne to his knowledge of popular culture and art history. Francis is drawn to costume and vivid colour schemes, so historical imagery and the entertainment industry loom large in his chosen subject matter.
How would you describe Patrick's artistic style?
Using a bold colour palette, Francis’ paintings are refined, expressive representations of portraiture and still life. His work ranges from studies of well-known celebrities and icons, from Marilyn Monroe to the fifteenth century Italian Renaissance author Baldassare Castiglione, to observations from everyday life. Francis’ liberated under-drawing is the key to his work, often discarding details in order simplify the image to its essential elements.
Partick began exhibiting at 18, was this daunting or exhilarating?
Francis has embraced and refined his painting practice since exhibiting at age 18. The exhibitions he is featured in seems to inspire rather than daunt him, and there is a pride in his work that is evident when you witness Francis interacting with his work in an exhibition context. Francis seems very comfortable with the attention he has received with his recent successes given that he has difficulty with crowds and noise that usually accompany exhibition openings and the like.
What does it mean for him to receive exposure during an event such as the Biennale of Sydney?
The exposure during the Biennale of Sydney is amazing for the development of Francis' career, especially following his recent installation in Melbourne Now at the National Gallery of Victoria, and following his success as a 2012 Art & Australia / Credit Suisse Private Banking Contemporary Art Award emerging artist. This places Francis' work at the top of the emerging artist field, and validates the value and regard of his work amongst curators and collectors.
Why do you believe initiatives such as SafARI are important?
Arts Project Australia Gallery Manager & Curator Sim Luttin says, "Initiatives like SafARI are important for artists such as Patrick Francis, in terms of creating a platform to build exposure and support for emerging artists at a crucial stage in their career. It allows the artists work to be viewed by a wide audience, within a context that is at the forefront of unearthing new and exciting artists wanting to break into the broader contemporary art sector."
Do you have any advice for other young artists who may be hesitant to take the leap to exhibit their work?
If you want to be taken seriously as a contemporary artist and see yourself as wanting to eventually exhibit at a national or international level, you have to; back yourself, be brave and get your work out there as soon as you can. Get involved in the contemporary art sector. See as much art as you can and focus on getting your artwork out into the public realm by exhibiting it in respected or high profile galleries / ARIs / Art Fairs / locations and entering it into respected art prizes and awards."
www.safari.org.au/2014/patrick-francis-vic/
www.artsproject.org.au/artworks/6550/Francis,%20Patrick
www.ngv.vic.gov.au/melbournenow/artists/francis
http://www.backyardopera.com/patrick-francis.html#.VWmm38-qqko
By Allanah Jansons
Directed and curated by this dynamic duo, the extensive progam includes international art exhibitions, slideshows, videos and numerous publications including:
Bird Tales
Athlete & Artist
Poetic Paintings
Absolutely Awetistic Arts
My Arts Project Adventures
with several others in the pipeline.
Special needs Artists and Designers are selected internationally to create and submit intriguing works in various formats - paintings, installation, photography, projection or video to highlight a wide range of approaches by talent from different backgrounds in order to enhance our understanding of their abilities as contributing members of society.
The thin line between art and design is often blurred and Absolutely Awetistic Arts provides a platform for creatives to push boundaries and build partnerships while utilising exhibition and publication opportunities not often available in Australia.
About Patrick Francis
Patrick Francis, 24 years, is an enthusiastic, emerging Australian artist and athlete, from a culturally and linguistically diverse background, who is autistic with an intellectual disability. He studied at Brunswick Special Developmental School where he first participated in art competitions and exhibitions in 2005, and is presently working part-time, since leaving school in 2009, at each of the following places :
-Arts Project Australia
-Absolutely Awetistic Arts
-Artful Dodgers Studio
-Footscray Community Arts Centre
Patrick Francis’ paintings explore aspects of his personal experience, resulting in distilled images that representvarious portraits and still-life. Often utilising acrylic on paper / acrylic on canvas as his chosen medium, Francis uses bold colour as an expressive tool, focusing his and the viewers' attention on key elements in his paintings whether they be portraits of his idolsor drawing from life, as well as using source material taken from magazines and fine art publications. This process has allowed himto successfully develop his sensitive line, composition and application of colour, resulting in highly considered andrefined drawings.
Despite inadequate communication, Patrick strives to express himself through his impressive paintings which he has exhibitedin Australian and overseas galleries winning several awards, featured online and in news articles frequently.
"Compelled by famous and infamous historical and celebrity icons, Patrick Francis paints a variety of subjects including portraiture and still life. Transforming Little Woods Gallery into a strange pop-culture vortex, the walls are covered with images of Nicki Minaj, Kylie Minogue, Blondie, Robbie Williams and Madonna – all wide eyed and smiling. A range of big cats are also presented here using vivid blocks of blended matte and metallic colours." - Amy-Jo Jory, Curator - Little Woods Gallery.
Patrick Francis’ work can currently be seen as part of Melbourne Now at the NGV, and he has been invited to show as part of Australia’s premiere art event – the 2014 Sydney Biennale. In 2012, Patrick Francis also won the prestigious Art & Australia Contemporary Art Award.
Patrick Francis is a Melbourne-based artist who has been working as a participant at Artful Dodgers Studios in the musicand art studios, and is an artist at Arts Project Australia, Footscray Community Arts and Absolutely Awetistic Arts.
Patrick Francis
Posted on April 15, 2014 by Christiane Keys-Statham
http://buriedatsea.org/2014/04/15/patrick-francis-safari-2014/
Patrick Francis is a prolific and successful painter, with a strong style and highly confident approach. His form of portrait painting employs methods used in times long past: a directorial approach in the studio, the deconstruction of the subject, bold and expressive use of colour, and an extreme simplification of the pictorial plane.
Francis’ use of colour recalls the intensity of modernist movements such as Fauvism and German Expressionism: stripping backan image to its main components, Francis directs studio assistants to select the exact colour required for each section, addingthese to more detailed under-drawings. This selective process indicates that the artist places great importance on colour, itsemotive value and the power it holds within the image itself. For Francis, colour is loaded with meaning: it holds the key to thecharacters he paints, conveying their state of mind, their roles and their situation to the viewer. Form and contours are flattened,becoming bright planes of colour. However, subtleties also exist in the edges of these colour blocks, gentle gradations giving way to sudden changes that catch the eye and hint at the hidden depths of perspective and detail within the layers of paint.
Patrick Francis places just as much importance in the selection of his subjects as in the selection of colour used to create them. Hissource material is found in images of art history classics, pop culture and film icons, and other mass media material. Francis alsodraws from facets of his daily life in Melbourne, and his sporting and community interests.
For SafARI 2014, the works selected by the curators are based on art historical source material, and include portraits of Bette Davis as Queen Elizabeth, the Mona Lisa, Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring and a head from a Ned Kelly painting by Sidney Nolan. The jolt of recognition experienced by the viewer when coming across one of these paintings is quickly replaced by astonishment that the artist could capture the essence of such famous images with his deceptively reductive style. Francis’ deconstruction of the portrait is a way of seeking out the emotional truth of the subject: a search that distills the portrait into a purer form ofrepresentation, a portrait cleansed of its social and political implications. In Francis’ work, the individual’s essence shines through;engaging the viewer long after the initial shock of identification has passed.
Francis is a Melbourne-based artist who has been working with Arts Project Australia since 2009. His work received the Art & Australia / Credit Suisse Private Banking Contemporary Art Award in 2012, and has been shown in exhibitions nationally including at Arts Project Australia in Melbourne, Sheffer Gallery in Sydney, Tanks Art Centre in Cairns, and at the 2012 Melbourne Art Fair. In 2013, he was selected to participate in Melbourne Now at the National Gallery of Victoria. His work is also held in a numberof private collections nationally.
SafARI Artist Profile: Patrick Francis
Patrick Francis is a young contemporary artist based in Melbourne, Victoria. Born in 1991, Francis began exhibiting in 2009 at the tender age of 18. Since then he has been the 2012 recipient of the Art & Australia / Credit Suisse Private Banking Contemporary Art Award and also in 2012 was the featured artist for Arts Project Australia at the Melbourne Art Fair. In 2013 Francis was featured in the Autumn edition of Art & Australia and held two exhibitions; At the Table, Arts Project Australia, Melbourne and Classic Albums, Tanks Art Centre, Cairns.
Francis usually works with acrylic on paper where he uses bold colours as an expressive tool combined with his signature blocks of colour. His paintings often reference imagery from art history and visual culture. Despite the images often distorted depictions, Francis presents something that feels honest and real.
We spoke to Sim Luttin, Gallery Manager and Curator at Arts Project Australia who answered on behalf of Patrick Francis, giving us insight into how and why Patrick creates the contemporary images we are sure to see more of.
What was Patrick’s earliest memory of art? Was this something he was always drawn to?
Patrick Francis has been creating art since he was young. He began exhibiting at Arts Project Australia in 2009 when he was 18 years old.
What inspires and influences him?
A prolific painter, Francis works primarily in acrylic on paper. His paintings draw from his own personal experiences, from first hand encounters with Melbourne to his knowledge of popular culture and art history. Francis is drawn to costume and vivid colour schemes, so historical imagery and the entertainment industry loom large in his chosen subject matter.
How would you describe Patrick's artistic style?
Using a bold colour palette, Francis’ paintings are refined, expressive representations of portraiture and still life. His work ranges from studies of well-known celebrities and icons, from Marilyn Monroe to the fifteenth century Italian Renaissance author Baldassare Castiglione, to observations from everyday life. Francis’ liberated under-drawing is the key to his work, often discarding details in order simplify the image to its essential elements.
Partick began exhibiting at 18, was this daunting or exhilarating?
Francis has embraced and refined his painting practice since exhibiting at age 18. The exhibitions he is featured in seems to inspire rather than daunt him, and there is a pride in his work that is evident when you witness Francis interacting with his work in an exhibition context. Francis seems very comfortable with the attention he has received with his recent successes given that he has difficulty with crowds and noise that usually accompany exhibition openings and the like.
What does it mean for him to receive exposure during an event such as the Biennale of Sydney?
The exposure during the Biennale of Sydney is amazing for the development of Francis' career, especially following his recent installation in Melbourne Now at the National Gallery of Victoria, and following his success as a 2012 Art & Australia / Credit Suisse Private Banking Contemporary Art Award emerging artist. This places Francis' work at the top of the emerging artist field, and validates the value and regard of his work amongst curators and collectors.
Why do you believe initiatives such as SafARI are important?
Arts Project Australia Gallery Manager & Curator Sim Luttin says, "Initiatives like SafARI are important for artists such as Patrick Francis, in terms of creating a platform to build exposure and support for emerging artists at a crucial stage in their career. It allows the artists work to be viewed by a wide audience, within a context that is at the forefront of unearthing new and exciting artists wanting to break into the broader contemporary art sector."
Do you have any advice for other young artists who may be hesitant to take the leap to exhibit their work?
If you want to be taken seriously as a contemporary artist and see yourself as wanting to eventually exhibit at a national or international level, you have to; back yourself, be brave and get your work out there as soon as you can. Get involved in the contemporary art sector. See as much art as you can and focus on getting your artwork out into the public realm by exhibiting it in respected or high profile galleries / ARIs / Art Fairs / locations and entering it into respected art prizes and awards."
www.safari.org.au/2014/patrick-francis-vic/
www.artsproject.org.au/artworks/6550/Francis,%20Patrick
www.ngv.vic.gov.au/melbournenow/artists/francis
http://www.backyardopera.com/patrick-francis.html#.VWmm38-qqko
By Allanah Jansons
Email : [email protected]