Fran always knew she wanted to be an artist. As a small child she would draw on anything she could find. Her teachers recognized her talent and encouraged her to follow her dreams. Her parents, being of modest means, had more "practical" dreams for her. So she married and started a family.
In 1988, with her children almost grown, Fran finally embarked on her painting career. Having no formal training, Fran was hesitant to call herself an "artist". Yet there was an immediate demand for her work. She entered and won painting competitions both nationally and internationally, and sold pieces to corporate and private collectors.
In 1990, Coca-Cola commissioned Fran to do a painting of the first Bruno grocery store as a surprise for Mr. Joe Bruno. It was very important to the Bruno family that the painting be accurate in every respect. Only the products that were actually in the store could be represented in the painting and the labels of these products must be precisely reproduced.
This proved to be challenging because Fran had to work from a black and white photo taken with a flash, obliterating much of the detail needed. It was quite a task to translate this into a vibrant painting authentic in color and detail.
Joe Bruno's brother, Lee, was essential to this project. He provided information as to which products were in the store and where they were placed. He had hand lettered the signs in the photograph. The upside down "fish" sign was his idea to attract customer's attention.
After the unveilling of "The First Game" at the Loretta Goodwin Gallery in Birmingham, Auburn coach Pat Dye asked Fran to come up with an art print that he could use for fundraising at Auburn, both for scholarships and his favorite charities, the Sheriff's Boys and Girls Ranches and the Big Oak ranch. He wanted something specifically for children because he thought there was a void in the collegiate market for children's items.
Driving home from their meeting, Fran envisioned a toddler boy, tired from play, wearing training pants and a large footbal helmet, holding a football and his precious toy tiger...and from this her "In Training" series was born.
Since then, Fran has created "In Training" graphics for over 35 universities.
Fran's first interests in painting were historical subjects. She even approached football from a historical viewpoint when she painted "The First Game", illustrating the first football game between The University of Alabama and Auburn University. Working from black & white photos of the actual event she discovered in the Archive Dept. of the Birmingham Public Library, Fran conducted thorough research with the help of Birmingham sports columnist and book author, Clyde Bolton. She unconvered fascinating details such as the fact that football was such a new sport, the players wore baseball uniforms and canvas baseball shoes. There were no helmets.