Fran Di Giacomo

About The Artist

1970 was a pivotal year for Fran Di Giacomo (pronounced de-JOCK-o-mo). She found two passions: her husband, and her art. Striving to establish her career in art, she found herself most excited by the methods and concepts of the Dutch masters. "I focused on seeking out living masters to study with. Perfecting the drama of light, shadow, and mystery has been a constant theme. Fad and fashion will ebb and flow, but classical realism is endless and enduring." In 1982, Di Giacomo made the next step in her life's dream and picked up the brushes full-time.

She now paints an average of ten hours every day, using both north and artificial light. To keep up with the demand for her paintings, Di Giacomo says she "cannot wait on the sun." She sets up her still-lifes near a north window, and when the sun dies, supplements with special lighting. To test a painting for the drama she seeks, Di Giacomo literally turns out the light. "A painting must glow in the dark. Then I know it's finished. In a client's home, the light from sun-up to bedtime is constantly changing. My paintings take on a different personality with each lighting condition.

But in every situation, the drama must be there." Di Giacomo and her husband travel extensively in search of inspiration and artifacts for her paintings. One painting may have a tapestry from Afghanistan, teapot from Morocco, French Sevres, Egyptian copper, flowers from her garden, and carefully selected fruit from the local supermarket-all resting on a stone table found in a castle in Portugal! Collectors worldwide enjoy the effort that goes into each painting. In today's fast-paced world, our senses are constantly assaulted by the noisy, the vulgar, the grotesque, and the avant-garde. When you behold a Di Giacomo painting, you return to the world of quiet elegance.

Awards & Juried Exhibits

* Texas & Neighbors, 5 State Award Exhibition
* Salamagundi Club, New York
* Academic Artist Association, National, Springfield, MA
* Oil Painters of America, National, Chicago, IL
* Richardson Civic Art Society, Regional, Texas
* Artist's & Craftsmen Annual Membership Show, Dallas, TX
* Women Artists of the West, International, Las Vegas, NV * Grand Prairie Visual Art, Regional, Texas
* Trinity Arts Guild, Regional, Texas
* Association of Traditional Artists Membership, Dallas, TX
* Southeast Council on the Arts, National, Cape Girardeau, MS
* Grand Exhibit '94, National, Akron, OH
* Plano Art Association, Regional, Texas
* American Artist National Award Competition