Estate Find

Bill D. Francis

American (1929-2000)

Drawing

We offer a surreal drawing by The University of Texas Professor of Art Bill D. Francis. Drawn with colored art pencils and pastels, the artist created a table top tableau in front of a Federal wall mirror and the mirror's reflections of the room.

The drawing is signed and dated “bfrancis ‘94” at the lower right corner.

Inside an envelope on the reverse are two papers. One page is an artist’s biography one would find at a gallery exhibition. The second is a personal letter to Pat, the first owner of the drawing, responding to a previous inquiry into the artist’s inspiration and symbolism within the drawing. The printed letter is signed “Bill”.

The glazed frame measures 28 1/4” in width and 39 1/4" in height. The image measures 23” in width and 34” in height. The depth of the frame measures 1 1/4”.

Bill D. Francis (1929-2000)

Bill Francis was born in Salem, Illinois. He received a BS in art education from Illinois State University in 1951, and an MS in applied art from the University of Wisconsin in 1952. Bill was a candidate for a doctoral degree in art education at Indiana University. In 1960, Bill joined the faculty of the Department of Art and Art History at UT Austin to teach studio and art education courses. Professionally, Francis was an active participant in the Texas, Western, and National Art Education Associations. From 1971 to 1973 Bill was president of the Texas Art Education Association. Francis retired from The University of Texas at Austin in 1993 as the Leslie Waggener Professor Emeritus in the College of Fine Arts. The Bill D. Francis Endowed Scholarship in Visual Art Studies and Art Education was established on January 1, 1998.

Exhibition Artist Biography:

Bill D. Francis

Bill Francis has devoted his life to art and teaching. His art work has aways been realistic yet enigmatic and original. He explores the medium as well as his message in beautiful detail and skill. The drawings in this exhibition are simply the latest in a rich body of work that he has produced throughout his career and they just keep getting better!Bill Francis is also a nationally known Art Educator having taught for forty years at the University of Illinois, William Horlick High School in Racine, Wisconsin, Drake University in Des Moines, lowa, and The University of Texas at Austin. Among many achievements, he is the Leslie Waggener Professor Emeritus in Fine Arts at The University of Texas and has been Associate Dean of the College of Fine Arts as well as a Professor of Art in the Department of Art and Art History where he received an outstanding teaching award.

Bill Francis has also been honored nationally in the arts. He has been named in Who's Who in America as well as Who's Who in American Art. He has served in many capacities for the National Art Education Association where he has been recognized for excellence. He has been Vice President of that Association and has received their Distinguished Service Award as well as being elected to membership in the Distinguished Fellows of NAEA.

But in all those experiences, he never lost sight of the importance of his art work and has continually won awards for his drawings and paintings. He has held Solo exhibitions in Indianapolis, Indiana, Racine, Wisconsin, San Angelo State College in San Angelo, Texas, the Museum of South Texas in Corpus Christi, Laguna Gloria Art Museum in Austin and the Longview Museum and Art Center, Long View, Texas. His work has been featured in many publications and in exhibitions too numerous to mention here. He has been awarded several commissions and given workshops and lectures on the visual arts both in the areas of education and creation.

In summary, Bill Francis is a perfect role model for anyone who wants to make a contribution of merit in the visual arts. He has never limited his vision to one area of creativity and continues to explore new concepts of social realism and surrealism in his work. He begins each work with intensive research into the particular subject matter that he is exploring and is so thorough in his work that one drawing may take several weeks to complete. About his latest work he states: "I am exploring the diverse limits of reality and juxtaposition of objects. The inner meanings are always more visual than referential and the whole is far more than the sum of its many parts. I am excited about art today which for the first time in my opinion really has no limits and therefore makes room for every kind of exploration from the beautiful to the intellectual to the incomprehensible. The doors keep opening and I think that is the deepest meaning in art."

Letter to Pat:

Finally I got it together to send this. Thanks again.

You said you wanted some comments on the symbols in the drawing.I got the idea of doing this mirror when I overheard a woman in Whit Hanks make a remark about mirrors being hostile to her so I chose a mirror which could be made hostile by exaggerating the eagle's expression to show hostility.I chose the interior of a room which would be more closely related to the Federal Period in furniture design. The balcony by the sea relates to an escape route from the dark interior.

The envelope on the marble shelf is to invoke some mystery by us not being able to know what is inside the envelope. The mirrored image of the envelope burning is also symbolic of "what is seen in a mirror is not always reflective of what the actual object really is".

I chose the English walnut for its texture as a strong contrast to the slick marble.….mixing two unrelated materials together. Also the English walnut has always reminded me of the human brain.

This drawing was not thoughtout before, but grew as I was drawing….so there may be more subconscious thoughts involved in the drawing than even I know.The drawing is full of mystery to me because of the objects included and the dramatic contrast of these objects to each other. I like to combine objects which have no significant reason to be placed together…this provides the opportunity for the viewer to see new things for themselves.

I am sure this does not answer all your questions, but as I said before I don't always consciously know why I put certain objects together in many of my drawings as I enjoy the mystery involved for myself.Sincerely,

Bill