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  HOME ~ ABOUT THE ARTIST ~ FRANCINE'S ART ~ COVER ART & COMMISSIONS ~ GALLERY SHOWINGS 
About The Artist "Artist Francine Gravel captures this world on canvas. With her vivid imagination and philosophical insight she creates paintings and prints which seem as if they have been captured from the pages of children's fairy tales and ancient medieval legends." Francine Gravel was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec where she attended the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, studying under Albert Dumouchel. She later pursued post-graduate studies in Belgium at the Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp and at the University of Calgary (Alberta). She was presented in her premiere exhibit of etchings and engravings in 1967 - an exhibit that launched a career that has continued to grow ever since. In 1980, after a long quest, she discovered the personal style that identifies her as a painter, and she has never looked back. She now enjoys an international reputation and has collectors throughout the world. She exhibits in numerous galleries throughout Canada where she is frequently featured in one-woman shows. As Roger Geerts has observed, "Francine Gravel's work is full of imagination and fantasy. We can feel in it the life of a world not quite our own, a world uplifted. At times the figures give the impression of being more or less absent. They bathe in an atmosphere of magic realism or fantasy. The artist knows how to interpret dreams with a very personal touch. `A dream is a painter,' to quote a famous Belgian author. And this is precisely what is reflected in Francine Gravel's work." (Roger Geerts, art critic, Belgium)
Artist's Statement "It all comes as I let the lines, textures and layers of colour flow on the canvas, I hope my work will help people travel to their innerselves to find A poetic Journey Guided by an invisible hand, On the poetic trails I ran Guided by an invisible hand, © Francine Gravel, May 2001
Recent Events Major show Agora Gallery in New York, November 4-25, 2014
Awards On November 14, 2015 in Edinburgh in the book The Best 2015 Modern and Contemporary Artists two of her paintings were reproduced (pages 56 and 57). The show was curated by Salvatore Russo and Francesco Saverio Russo. She received the following plaque with the title "The Best 2015 Modern and Contemporary Artists 2015".
In #5 September/October Magazine Effecto Arte One of her painting was published in the section Artista per L'Unicef (page 147).
In July 2015 she received a prize in the first Mazzutto International Art Exhibition where one of her works participated. The show was from July 10 to 19th at the Palace Duchi of Santo Stefano in Palermo Italy. From June 12-14, 2015 one of her original paintings was shown in the Carousel Salon Art in the Louvre in Paris, France. During that show 9 digital images of her paintings were projected on a large screen during the event. On May 19, 2015 she was awarded the Roma Imperial International Prize for stylistic value. She made the trip to Rome Italy to receive the award.
On April 2, 2015 her work was chosen for publication in the group called il Genio dell'Arte 2015 for the Effecto Arte Magazine. Two images are included on page 106 and 107.
March 1st, 2015 she was awarded the Sandro Botticelli from Florence, Italy for the Original Stylistic Search. One image was published in Florence, Italy, March 2015 in the EA Editore on page 28.
May 2,2009 during the Gala Academia XXI at the Museum of Fine Arts in Montréal she received a certificate with the title "Academician-adviser" and a small Academia crystal sculpture, 2009 from the "Académie International des Beaux-Arts du Québec". February 14, 2009 she is nominated and received a prize sculpture for her contribution in the arts. Title (Lifetime Achievement Award) with a certificate during the annual Gala 2009 given by the (Okanagan Arts Awards). November 3, 2007 during the Gala Academia XXI at the Museum of Fine Arts in Montreal she received the prizes and titles as follows:
- Academician + Gold Medal + Certificate,
- National-Ambassador + Gold Medal + Certificate,
- Artiste of the year 2007 + Silver-Medal + Certificate + Trophy Obelisk,
- "La Bourse Denis Beauchamp" ( Multi-Art ) + Certificate.
Gravel's works was recognized both by its technical strength and its artistic content. "She is making something special that nobody is doing", says Louis Bruens, "She is very original."
Cover Art, Commissions & Publications Click here for more about how Francine's painting have been featured in publications and commissioned for covers. Learn more about the publication of the book of paintings and poems by Francine Gravel: In a Corner of Paradise |
