ABOUT
Fran Sampson is a visual artist utilizing vibrant color, brush strokes, abstract shapes,
symbols and mixed media to create immersive fields of meaning.
Originally from St. Louis, Fran moved to Chicago to study painting at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where she received both her BFA and MFA degree. Fran has made her life as an educator and artist in Chicago and currently resides in Oak Park.
Fran's work has been shown at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Koehnline Museum of Art, ARC
Gallery, Gallery Studio Oh, Woman Made Gallery, Bridgeport Art Center, and throughout the
Midwest area.
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"In my art I use vivid color, brush strokes, collaged material and texture to animate the spatial
field. I am interested in the tension and movement that ambiguous space creates. I want the
colors and shapes to dance across the canvas while dipping in and out of the surface. This
aesthetic runs through all my work whether I am referencing places, events, or symbols. Some
of these are fast frantic dances and others are slower with more rests in between. I work
instinctively with one color or shape suggesting the next. I want to capture the rhythm of a place,
feel the pace of an idea generated over time. I want the viewer to join me."
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