Artworks by Francis Stanton

I take inspiration from both the natural world and the activities of humans. I look for patterns in nature, the interplay of light on a scene, and the subtleties of muted colors. For subjects I prefer what would be called “intimate landscapes” – close-in views of natural scenes and objects. Growing up in an artistic family in the Chicago area in the United States, I have been immersed in art my entire life. My mother was a painter and watercolorist, my sister is an artist and sculptor, and my father was an architect. I was encouraged to express myself with art and photography, and was an Art Room regular in high school studying under one of the area’s leading artist educators. My career as a cartographer has served me well in my interest in printmaking. Since I practiced mapmaking in both the pre-computer and computer periods, I have a working knowledge of those techniques. Combining artistic disciplines can be interesting and useful too: I’ve been using silkscreens and linocuts together, or linocuts and stencils, and sometimes adding watercolor or gouache by hand over the top of any medium. Computer imaging effects add a whole different approach and feel to the images. I often make my own tools, like a color registration system, a silkscreen exposure unit, a silkscreen washout sink, barens for large linocut images, and a linocut press. Artfinder has a very healthy pool of printmaking talent, and I like looking at what others are doing, especially in linocut and silkscreen. By taking the opportunity and making the effort to sell on Artfinder, I hope to reach a wider audience for my work.