Florida Artists Group

Artists Bio:

Born in Baltimore, MD, Frances Hodges Carson has been drawing and painting since she was very young. Pursuing art while sailing and exploring the coves and marshes in her canoe along the Severn River in central Maryland, she developed a lively fascination with the many moods of the river, the surrounding countryside, the effects of weather and season and changing light.

She started winning awards in grade school and that continued. Nominated to the American Pen Women at 18, she was one of the youngest women ever to win membership. She worked as a commercial artist in Baltimore until “retired” prior to the birth of her first child. When her youngest child started school, she returned to college part time working at Anne Arundel Community College, Essex Community College (now Community College of Baltimore Co.), Maryland Institute College of Art, and University of MD in College Park. She received her BFA from the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) in 1987.

She mentored her children’s interests, volunteered in their schools, served on the PTA Board, created stage sets and costumes for musicals and worked as a substitute teacher. She served on the Board of Directors of the Maryland Federation of Art in Annapolis, MD chairing shows and fundraisers. She worked as an art teacher with the continuing education programs at both Anne Arundel Community College and Prince George’s County Community College in MD. She is the founding President of the Florida Women’s Arts Association, Inc.
Fran Carson became a Florida resident in 1993. Extensive travel has allowed her to visit museums and galleries throughout the US, Europe, China, Australia and New Zealand increasing her appreciation of the importance of art in our lives as well as its value as a means of communication between cultures.
Her shows include 3 one woman shows and a three woman exhibit. Her painting of the Maryland State House was published in the Annapolitan Magazine in October 1988. Her painting, “Cypress,” was published in American Artist Magazine in August 1990.
Painting is her first love in the arts although she has won awards in other areas including quilt design and architectural drawing. She works in multiple media. She sings mezzo soprano in the choir at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit when in Cumming, GA.  Her primary mediums are oil and watercolor.

Artist Statement:

Drawing taught me how things fit together. I have done many architectural subjects, but my first loves are water, trees and the human form in all their variety. When you look at my paintings, look for reflected colors and the way light moves around things whatever the subject. Light, shadow and reflected light are what is important. My goal is to interpret the scene in a way that reflects its beauty to show what makes it exciting, not to copy it. I try to keep my material fresh with encountered abstractions.

Education:

Anne Arundel Community College, A.A. Co., MD
Essex Community College, Baltimore Co., MD
Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore City, MD
University of Maryland, College Park and Baltimore Co. Campuses             
BFA: University of Maryland, Baltimore County Campus, December 1987

Other Education:

Severna Park High School, Severna Park, MD 1959-1963
Michael Wilcox, Wilcox School of Color, Irvine California, 1999

Achievements and Work Experience:

NAMTA, Chicago, IL, March 1999, for Michael Wilcox
Certified Instructor for the Michael Wilcox School of Color, since 1999
Art Teacher, Continuing Education Programs for:
Prince George’s County Community College 1992-1994
Anne Arundel Community College 1990-1994
First Solo Show, by invitation, Pasquotank Arts Council, 1989
Second Solo Show, Upstairs Gallery at the DeLand Artisan Inn, January/February 2010
Third Solo Show, Deltona Arts and History Museum, 2012 or 2013
Three Women Show, Art League of Daytona Beach, February 2012
Chairman, Art on Paper, Maryland Federation of Art, 1986-1990
I changed it from a regional to nationwide show in 1986.
Jurors included Curators from the National Museum of Art, the Corcoran Museum of
Art, the Phillips Museum of Art, in Washington, DC. Willem de Kooning, the
Curator Emeritus of the Phillips Museum was the Juror in 1986.
Show posters and program covers for Baltimore Ballet Company’s Children’s Programs
1980-1982
Costume design/creation for the Baltimore Ballet Company’s RAD Program, 1982-1983
Set design/construction for plays produced by the Bodkin Elementary School PTA, 1976 & 1977
Leon Levy Department Store, Baltimore Maryland 1966-1967, commercial artist
Lloyd Publicity Advertising Co., Baltimore Maryland 1965-1966, commercial artist
Maryland Historical Trust, 1963-1965, secretary to the founder, Orlando Ridout IV, Annapolis, MD           
Historic Annapolis, Inc., 1959-1963, tour guide in the City of Annapolis                 

Affiliations:

National League of American Pen Women, 1963-1968
Maryland Federation of Art, Annapolis, MD, 1981-2009
Pasquotank Art Council, Elizabeth City, NC 1984-1998
Charter Member, National Museum for Women in the Arts, Washington, DC, 1986-2010
Charter Member, Florida Committee of the NMWA, 2001-2010
Art Guild of Ponce Inlet, Ponce Inlet, FL 1992-2007
Artist’s Workshop, New Smyrna Beach, FL September 2001-2002
Museum of Florida Art, DeLand, FL, current
Museum of Florida Women Artists, DeLand, FL, closed
Art League of Daytona Beach, Daytona Beach, FL, current
Maitland Art Center, Maitland, FL, not current
Founding President, Florida Women’s Arts Association, 2010-2013
Florida Artist Group, 2011, current
Museum of Art, Daytona Beach, current

Awards and Publications:

Best in Show, Titusville Spring Show, 2012
Best in Show for Drawing, Titusville Spring Show, 2011
Merit Award, Art League of Daytona Beach, Figuratively Speaking 2010
Juror’s Choice, Art League of Daytona Beach Members Showcase, 2009
Purchase Award, Ponce Inlet Art Show, 1997
“American Artist Magazine,” August 1990
Best in Show, Anne Arundel Community College Alumni Show, Arnold, MD, 1989
First Place, Tarnished Vistas Competition, Annapolis, MD, 1989
“Annapolitan Magazine,” Sept. 1989 Article about the Tarnished
Vista Competition for the City of Annapolis, MD
Numerous awards in shows at the Maryland Federation of Art, 1981-1998

Exhibits:

2005 or 2006        FLNMWA Member Show Deltona Arts and History Museum
2005-2009             2 or 3 FLNMWA Member Shows Peabody Auditorium Rose Room
2007                        Mary McLeod Bethune Performing Arts Center - Opening Show at their new Theater
                                  and Arts Hall, with the Florida Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts.
2008                        FLNMWA Member Show Gateway Center for the Arts
2009                        Gallery at the Artisan in, Members’ shows and One Woman Show
2009                        Festival of the Arts, Cumming First United Methodist Church, Cumming GA
2010                         Festival of the Arts, Cumming First United Methodist Church, Cumming GA
2011                         Festival of the Arts, Cumming First United Methodist Church, Cumming GA
2011                         Florida Artists Group Symposium at Maitland Art & History Museum 
2011                         Turning Leaf Wood Art, Blue Ridge GA
2012                         Festival of the Arts, Cumming First United Methodist Church, Cumming GA
2012                        “Dreams & Reality”, a three woman show with Mindy Colton and Gina Semenov  
                                 at the Art League of Daytona Beach
2012                        Florida Artists Group Symposium at Ringling School of Art and Design - Selby Gallery  
2012                        Florida Women’s Arts Association Exhibit at the Casements, Ormond Beach, FL
2012                        Florida Artists Group Cornell Museum of art, W. Palm Beach
2013                        Festival of the Arts, Cumming First United Methodist Church, Cumming GA
2013                        FLORIDA WOMEN’S ARTS ASSN. INAUGURAL JURIED SHOW
                                 Art League of Daytona Beach, FL
2013                        Florida Artists Group Symposium at LeMoyne Center for Visual Arts
2013                        FLWAA Exhibit Lake Eustis Museum of Art
2014                        FLWAA Exhibit Gateway Center for the Arts
2014                        FLWAA Exhibit Peabody Rose Room
2014                        Florida Artists Group Area V Exhibit Castleberry Center for the Arts
2014                        Florida Artists Group Symposium at Saint Augustine Art Association
2014                        Florida Artists Group Area V Exhibit Castleberry Center for the Arts
2015                        Florida Artists Group Symposium at the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art,
                                 Tarpon Springs , FL