Fran Valesco

I work from observations of the environment and of particular nuances of place. My research leads me to new understandings to create visual metaphors.  Small items, carefully observed, then drawn and painted, can become representations for abstract ideas. I can interpret them in either narrative or abstract ways.  

I travel to artist residencies in many parts of the world and find myself moved by and influenced by the landscape I find myself in.  My works have evolved from those experiences in places where nature triggers my emotional response. I am inspired by John Muir, whose activism saved Yosemite Valley in California.