Learning about Ms. Franz has been inspiring. In fact, I had to stop, right in the middle, and tweet one of her quotes: "Just because no one buys your work doesn't mean it isn't fabulous. It just means your grandkids will be the ones who get rich off it." Being a musician, I can relate and Ms. Franz is so correct in her perspective. Let yourself be inspired by what she says and what she has experienced, letting the art flow out from inside of you!

Oh, and that isn't all! Ms. Franz has a lovely sense of humor and while I may stop in awe of her inspiring words, I then expel a giggle at her way with words, and sit back, with my cup of tea, and enjoy the art that is an outflowing of Ms Franz and her expressions of creativity.

When did you first decide that you wanted to be an artist?

I was lucky that I came from a family that let me explore anything I was interested in. I always loved art and at 12 my parents paid for me to take oil lessons. It was thrilling to go to a real art studio, be given a canvas, and allowed to use real paints.

I was an art major in college, but almost burned down the kiln room in pottery class (a long story), so stuck mostly to 2-D drawing after that.

Then, when my kids were little and I realized oils was a bad idea (permanent hand prints all over the house about 2 feet from the floor), I switched to watercolors. We were living in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and some friends got together, paid for the lessons and organized babysitting for me to study with Hugh Walkinshaw, a member of the Water Color Society. I learned so much from him, it was the best art experience of my life.

My advice is to keep on creating, even if you are just crayoning next to your kids. Art is a lifelong process. Keep learning. Watch the cheesy guys on public TV. Use those Beginner Drawing books from the art store. There are NO RULES. NEVER let anyone, especially FAMILY, judge your work. Just because no one buys your work doesn't mean it isn't fabulous. It just means your grandkids will be the ones who get rich off it. Think of your art as the inheritance you will leave behind.

What was your first art creation?

The first piece I remember was in first grade. We were told to draw a flower. All the other kids did lollypop versions. I did a huge chrysanthemum in red, yellow, and blue crayons.

What was your first memorable art piece?

I entered and received an Honorable Mention in the National Scholastic Art Competition in High School. It was a huge deal. It was, again, a chrysanthemum, but this time in pen and ink and very bold and rustic.

Please describe "A Day in the Life of Sally Franz, Artist Extraordinaire."

I have a theory which I have only had to prove twice in my life, that the sunrise looks absolutely like a sunset, ergo I have no need or ability to get up with the sun. You want a sunrise? Just paint the landscape in the east over last night's sunset.

I create art in two stages. I get inspiration and then I make studio time (which means rearrange the kitchen) and paint like a banshee many works at once. I am always taking photos everywhere I go (to the sheer embarrassment of my kids and chagrin of fellow travelers). I was beaten with a stick by an old lady in Bogota, Colombia this year for snapping a candid of her. Guess she wanted me to talk to her agent first. Que lastima, mi Espanol es muy mal. (FYI: I got the picture, worth the black and blues.) And yes, getting great photos takes a bit of a death wish, mentality. Mind you, I walk with a cane, so her beating me with hers was more like a duel with me in defense mode.

If my camera is not available, I draw sketches to remind me of what the essence is that I wanted to capture. The painting included here, "Waiting for the Train" is from a photo of a child with his kitten. He was so tender with the kitten that I was all but brought to tears. The second, "Nantucket Dunes," is from a series of drawings and small notebook paintings I have done over the years visiting Nantucket. For more eclectic works see my website and click on Sally's Art , Art1, and Art2.

What do you do with your art?

So far, I have sold at local shows, offered my work to charity events, and sold directly to friends who have seen my work either online, or at shows.

I also cartoon-illustrated a humor book which I wrote: "The Baby Boomers' Guide to Menopause...or how to have more fun than 36 hours of labor."[artInterview_linkReference01]

My advice is to keep on creating, even if you are just crayoning next to your kids. Art is a lifelong process. Keep learning. Watch the cheesy guys on public TV. Use those Beginner Drawing books from the art store. There are NO RULES. NEVER let anyone, especially FAMILY, judge your work. Just because no one buys your work doesn't mean it isn't fabulous. It just means your grandkids will be the ones who get rich off it. Think of your art as the inheritance you will leave behind.

What are your plans for the future?

My future project will occur this summer. I am taking my sorry self off to Kerry, Ireland, to a little Inn on a lake. I have been there only once before and knew I would be back. I will be painting and writing a memoir of that time there.

My second love is writing. I have written eight books. My most recent one, "Scrambled Leggs - Snarky Hospital Hooey," is an Amazon Best Seller, written about a time, 7 years ago, when I was paralyzed and had to learn to walk again. It is a humor book. Why? Because that is the way I see the world, kind of tilted. This shows up in my art sometimes, too. My art and writing (lo musings) of Ireland will be humorous as well.

I also illustrate and write children's books and songs for my grandchildren. I might even publish them one day. :0) [This is made easier since I could] publish [my] own art or picture books [via a resource like] CreateSpace.com. Then, [I] can sell them at art shows.

I am excited to keep working on my painting. I think if I draw or paint every week I will maybe come to a place where I know what my style is. Right now, I am all over the map. I am a bit A.D.D., so doing all the same subject is BORING. But, maybe I can perfect a color or brush theme. I hear that's the key to selling in the high-end galleries. LOL

I have had several one-woman shows in Santa Barbara, CA, and showed regularly in North Carolina while recently living there. I have just had my first show in Portland, Oregon, my new home.[artInterview_linkReference01]

In the words of Sally Franz, from her Facebook page (originally from her former website), "As a national speaker.. [have] also appeared on The Today Show (3 times) with Al Roker and Willard Scott, LifeTime Cable, CNBC, The Maury Povitch Show as well as hosting several east coast regional TV series and a west coast Clear Channel’s radio show."
Connecting with Sally Franz :
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