Seba Smith, Frances
Biography
Born in Canada, Frances studied at Ecole des Beaux Arts, Montreal, and after graduating worked as the graphic designer for the Sun Life of Canada. After moving to England, in 1982 she gained a First Class Honours Degree in Fine Arts from North Staffs Polytechnic (Staffordshire University). In 1990 Frances set up a printmaking studio with an antique Albion Press and an etching press, where she makes relief, mono and etching prints. She also enjoys a complete change of media and is just as happy working in oils, acrylic, pastel and water-colour.
Frances has exhibited widely, in Britain, Malta, Canada, Russia, Italy, Germany, and Bermuda. She was Artist in Residence at the Masterworks Foundation in Bermuda and the Casa Rocca Piccola, Malta. Work in private and public collections include; Museum of Fine Arts Malta, Great Universal stores(GUS), Chepstow House, Manchester, British Midlands Airlines, Masterworks Foundation, Bermuda, Grosvenor Museum Chester.
Statement
‘I make paintings and prints from sketches and photographs taken whilst walking the dog in Cheshire or in Anglesey. As walking and painting are non verbal processes, I find the physical exercise of walking and the mental process of creativity are stimulated by the silence and the landscape. Back in my studio the painting or print gradually emerges from the photos and the sketches, My imagination merges with the reality of the original scene and the work takes on a life of its own.’