Although he has only just begun to show his paintings,
Craig Franz likes to think that people throughout the High Country
have been “patrons” of his creative skills for years.
Franz is a dental lab technician. He uses the fine motor skills
that were trained in jewelry making to create bridges, crowns
and other dental appliances for the patients of area dentists.
Franz describes his college studies as “leaning toward”
the arts. He took courses in printmaking and painting before discovering
a serious interest in jewelry design. After studying in the School
of Fine Arts at the University of Kansas, he returned home to
Boone and set up shop as a jewelry craftsman. Eventually he found
that his abilities were well suited to the crafting of dental
hardware, a more prosaic field, but one that provided reliable
paychecks, as well as a solid sense of accomplishment.
Franz never set aside his artistic habits completely. He continued
to dabble with painting, taking courses and studying the techniques
of other artists in galleries. About two years ago he decided
to get serious about art once again. Focusing on oil pastels because
they are easy to travel with, relatively inexpensive and do not
require special handling, he dedicated himself to producing a
body of work that reflected his artistic vision.
This new collection is called “Last Year’s Travel,”
a reference to the learning process he went through as he taught
himself about pastels from books and an intensive five-day plein
air class taught by Kevin Beck. With more than 20 finished pieces
glowing within their custom made frames, Franz said,” I’ve
always wanted to paint, so I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished
and look forward to the coming years and how I can continue to
learn my craft.”
“Last Year’s Travel” is on display Feb. 5–27
at the Cheese House Gallery. The public is invited to attend the
Opening Reception on Feb. 5 from 5–7 p.m. A project of the
Avery County Arts Council, the Cheese House Gallery is located
at 630 Shawneehaw Ave. (N.C. 184) in Banner Elk. Gallery Hours
are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and Saturdays by
appointment.
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