An Idaho native, Fran is a graduate of Deaconese School of Nursing, Spokane and the University of Colorado at Boulder and Denver. She served in the Navy Nurse Corps for 22 years. Fran has attended classes and workshops with many Idaho artists and nationally known artists; Ann Templeton, Robert Hoffman, Gerald Merfeld and Ted Goerschner to name a few.

I enjoy working on location and do many paintings from photographs. There are times when it is difficult to decide whether to paint in watercolor or oil. Watercolor paintings seem delicate while oil paintings seem more sensous. Nature scenes, old ranches, etc., dictate which medium will produce the best mood and sense of place that I am looking for. I want to draw the viewer in and make them feel the warmth of a summer day, nostalgia of old buildings, the power and beauty of our natural world.