Kathryn Markel with two abstract paintings by Fran Shalom.
These are two paintings from Fran Shalom that are very typical of her work. Fran is a painter who is very rigorously compositional and structured. Her work starts with pared-down shapes that are almost geometric, and yet they subtly become anthropomorphic. They’re almost cartoony and develop a sense of humor and become characters who tell a story.
Fran uses very strict, hard-edged shapes, yet she puts a little line in that looks like a smile. In this red painting, the shapes again are very structured and strong, yet they become anthropomorphic. This shape looks like it’s bursting out and yelling within the picture frame.
