April at Maser Gallery: "Just for the Fun of It" - Artwork by Frances Ferguson

Artwork by Frances Ferguson is on display in the Maser Gallery at Falmouth Community Television from April 3 through April 28.

Frances Ferguson started painting on a bet. “I was looking at a picture of a painting and said to my husband, ‘I think I could paint that.’ He said, ‘No way.’ The bet was on. I actually painted the picture without ever having a lesson. I mixed colors naturally and years later, wondered how I did it. I won that bet and I was hooked.”

This bet took place in Florida in the 1970s, where Fran had moved with her husband after growing up on Cape Cod. She began taking classes and was inspired by Impressionism, especially the works of Renoir and Monet.

When she moved to Georgia in the eighties, Fran took up miniature sculpting of gnomes and was very successful. She taught sculpting classes at Michael’s Craft Store in Atlanta for two years. Her many talents and passions include writing. While in Georgia, she penned a column for the local newspaper entitled, ‘After the Cards and Flowers’ following the murder of her only daughter. “It was my way to reach out to help heal the many people who had lost a loved one and it remains a passion of mine today. My other passion is animals. I love them all.”

Fran returned to the Cape in 2000 to care for her aging mother, but has continued to paint for the pure enjoyment and fun of it. Her murals of Nobska and nesting swans adorn the main room of the Falmouth Senior Center, and the walls of several homes in the local area sport her lovely Cape Cod scenes.

“When anyone paints, they leave themselves behind and go on a wonderful journey within. It’s so much fun to come back from the journey and see what you have painted while you ‘were gone.’ That is the joy and wonder of painting to me.”

Maser Gallery Exhibit Hours: Sunday & Monday, 2-10 p.m.
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 10 -10 p.m., Friday 10-6 p.m.