Francine Hsu Davis

Born and raised in NYC, Francine Hsu Davis is deeply influenced by the urban landscapes that she has explored and inhabited. After over a decade-long career as an architect, Francine uprooted her life and moved to Taiwan, particularly drawn to the cityscapes of Taipei because of her cultural roots there. Memories of that experience have expanded into full bodies of work.

Francine previously painted full-time in Oakland, CA; spent a few years in Greenpoint, Brooklyn; and now creates out of her studio in Yonkers, NY. She has shown her work nationally, exhibiting at YSoA Gallery, Paolo Mejia Art Gallery, New York Academy of Art Auction hosted at Sotheby’s, Grayloft Gallery, The Laundry, ACCI Gallery, and Space 776 Gallery. In 2019, she was awarded a residency at Vermont Studio Center. Most recently, her work was included in the virtual online exhibition Fresh Paint, curated by Margaret Winslow, Curator of Contemporary Art at the Delaware Art Museum.


Artist Statement

As I travel the world, I sketch and photograph the details of the spaces that I explore, bringing those places back to my studio. There, I investigate the textures and colors of the city in rich layers of oil paint. The urbanism that took such a significant role in my upbringing is expressed in my work as I play with the scale of the city, sometimes filling my canvas with structures and architectural shapes, and other times depicting an eroded patch of wall with a few blooms of moss and marks of graffiti.

I work on both canvas and panel, each serving different purposes for me. Painting, for me, is about the materiality, the feeling of moving the paint on the specific surface. I love the transparency that I can achieve on canvas by letting thinned-out oil paint drip or soak in, and the smooth feel of a brush running across. Working on wood panels allows me to scrape, scratch, or build up the layers. Pigment sticks allow me to make spirited marks like the ‘tagging’ I was so fascinated with as a child.
With each series of paintings, I catalog a certain cultural experience, whether it represents a specific time or place, a familiar color palette, or the energy of movement.


www.francinehd.com

Can you describe the core themes and emotions you explore in your current body of work?

The core themes and emotions I explore in my current body of work are memory and place. I try to document my experiences of a place through my lens as an Asian American who identifies most strongly with her New York roots.


How does your creative process unfold from concept to completion?

My creative process first and foremost includes the experience of a place. Whether visited or inhabited, I start by observation (which includes sketching on-site and photographing). I then bring the drawings and photographs back to the studio to explore through collage and painting. Color and texture are my first considerations, and that may dictate what type of surface I paint on.


What inspires you most outside of the visual arts, and how does it influence your work?

Outside of the visual arts, the thing that inspires me most is travel. When I travel, I am inspired by the architecture and urbanism on the large scale, but I also focus on details of the place like the materials of a building or patterns found in textiles.


How do you navigate the balance between personal expression and the commercial aspects of your career?

I navigate the balance between personal expression and the commercial aspects of my career by leaning further into the personal expression in my art since my various jobs have been commercially heavier. My day jobs have been in the design profession, which is often client-driven. My art is led by my personal narrative.


What message or feeling do you hope viewers take away from experiencing your art?

I hope viewers feel a sense of familiarity and nostalgia when experiencing my art. The images I paint may be based on real places, but they are recast through my experience and memory of that place. I hope people identify with what they see in my paintings, and the color and texture evoke a feeling that they have been to that place or even a sentimentality towards the colors and marks.