Frances Macve

Frances Macve is a wonderful woman to meet and talk with but a bit of advice......don't be late!

Born in the lovely old village of Old Basing in Hampshire she went to school in Farnborough.

Art was not a priority at school as to quote 'Our Art department was terrible and I felt as if my wings were clipped'.

Fran then studied philosophy at Warwick University and started to sketch and do a little sculpture whilst studying.

The career route took hold and Fran went to work for a small but reputable wine company in London where she found her continuing love affair with Burgundy but future development was limited so she took a holiday in her parents home in France while she re-evaluated her options.

After returning to the Uk and working Fran decided that 'It would be wrong to die without learning another language' and with her sister graduating in French at Oxford and her childhood holidays in France the decision was made.

Arriving in France, Fran had secured an unpaid position with a charity with the express goal of learning French but as can be the case, the best laid plans of mice and men, the position fell through.

Staying at her parents house, she had the finances to stay 6 months and started painting.

By the end of the summer Fran had 20 paintings and on return to London she went to the White Horse in London, a location that in previous years used to showcase art and demanded that they start again (for those that have met or know Fran this will not be a surprise) and the exhibition was a success.

She then took the decision to purchase a property in France and for the next five years divided her time working in various positions including MTV in London and painting in France.

'I would come to France and paint and go to London to work and party'.

Invited to Paris by Patrick Betaudier to study and learn the technique 'Mixte' a style of building up the paint layer by layer and often colour by colour to build luminosity in the layers, Fran took to the first teaching of her career and this can be seen in her earlier work and at times even now.

Now painting more in the style of Titian, she will still glaze as necessary.

Fran now lives in Nebian with her husband and two lovely girls Esther and Ophelie.

Painting takes two days a week of her time and she states 'I place my imagination and creativity into my children and if I painted seven days a week my enthusiasm and creativity may be watered down'

Frances states that she is an emotive painter and her latest exhibition (details HERE) is by her own admission where she has 'found her voice'.

'I am in a good place and my other exhibitions were good but this show is me. 

She calls herself a contemporary artist and believes that 'You shouldn't need another language to look at a painting'.

Exhibiting Villeneuvette 13th May to 19/th May.