The Photography of Fran Gardino
Presented by Unbound Visual Arts
Exhibit installers: Chelsea White and John Quatrale | Publicity: Christina Jang and Kenneal Patterson
Arthaus Art Exhibit Gallery - 43 N. Beacon St., Allston, MA
February 3 - March 27, 2022
Passed: Opening Program and Reception on Sunday Feb. 27, 2022
Artist talk, light refreshments, live keyboard music by Mae Siu Wai Stroshane, and free raffle for fun prizes.
Gallery Hours
Fridays: 12:00 Noon - 5:00 pm
Saturdays: 12:00 Noon - 5:00 pm
Sundays: 12:00 Noon - 5:00 pm
Covid-19 Requirements
Please note that all visitors and staff are required to present proof of full vaccination upon entry and CDC-approved face masks must be worn inside the gallery.
Artist's Exhibit Statement
This opening solo show includes some of my photo images from locations both near and far. In 2012, I traveled with my wife and daughter to Italy to visit the home of my grandparents in Sicily for the first time. It became immediately apparent why all four grandparents chose to emigrate to the USA: to escape poverty and limited opportunities in order to seek a more prosperous life. The Italy photos in this show represent a small collection of images from that 2012 trip.
Clouds have always been a fascination to me, wondering how previous artists captured varied cloudscapes with and without the use of a camera. All my cloud photos were taken through the windows of commercial flights in the US and abroad. One such photo, “Coach Class Sunrise”, is featured in a 10 ft X 30 ft photo installation in Logan Airport Terminal A and appears in a smaller version in this UVA show.
The challenge on the ground has been to find varied and compelling combinations of subject matter and mini-worlds that keep me engaged for an indefinite period of time. Fortunately, I have found many such locations. Most notably, the Charles and Mystic Rivers, Boston Public Garden, Emerald Necklace, Mt Auburn Cemetery, seaside and urban locations as well as local plant and animal farms. This show includes several images from these numerous explorations.
Currently, due to the arrival of Covid-19 and my need to stay home or close to my home in Brighton MA, my recent fine art landscape photo efforts have been concentrated on Boston area scenes, especially those of the beautiful parkland spaces. I have found a greater appreciation for the familiar landscape, possible due to a renewed sense of the importance of simply being happy with what we have.
Artist Biography
Francis Gardino, a Brighton resident and member of the Council of Advisors for Unbound Visual Arts, received his Bachelor's of Fine Art in Painting from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. He is a member of the Allston Arts District Open Studios, and the Photographic Resource Center at Lesley University. He has participated in many solo and group exhibitions throughout Massachusetts.
His large scale installations include a 10’ wide x 30’ tall cloud photo at Logan Airport’s Terminal A, and other large format photos at the Mystic Valley Watershed Association, Charles River Conservancy, Boston Public Garden, Massachusetts State House, Brighton Allston Historical Museum, Workbar Arlington, Mt Auburn Hospital Cambridge, Mt Auburn Hospital Clinic Belmont, the Winchester Hospital and the Dedham Wellness Center.
He has self-published four photo books, of which three are included in the curatorial library of Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts. His photos have been shown in the Danforth Art Museum, the Peabody Essex Museum annex and the Italian Consulate in the Federal Reserve Building in Boston, and he’s won numerous awards including the “Best of Show” at the Duxbury Art Complex 2015 Winter Show. The Danforth Museum in Framingham MA owns one of his photos titled “Brewster Rock”.
As a current member and past president of the International Association of Panoramic Photographers, he continues to pursue the captured beauty of landscape and non-traditional panoramic photographic imagery.
Email: fgardino@rcn.com
Website: www.frangardino.com
Twitter: @GardinoFran
Source: Unbound Visual Arts website: https://www.unboundvisualarts.org/the-photography-of-fran-gardino/
