Graham Franciose
About the Create! Magazine 10th Anniversary Book: Create! Magazine is honored to celebrate a decade of contemporary art by publishing a look back at previously selected artists: their achievements, career growth, and more since being published. Stay tuned for the book launch in fall 2026, and join our newsletter to stay up to date.
Graham Franciose, featured in both Create! Magazine and the Create! Magazine10th Anniversary Book, is primarily a watercolor and gouache artist based in Seattle, WA. He received his BFA in Illustration from The Hartford Art School in 2004 and has been exhibiting throughout the country ever since.
His interest in Children's Book Illustration in college has informed his narrative work, with each piece representing a sliver of a story, open to interpretation. After losing several family members unexpectedly over the years, the focus and inspiration of his work has shifted to loss and regrowth, and the more challenging parts of being human, and how we can find hope and light in the darkness.
Franciose regularly exhibits with Antler Gallery, Paradigm Gallery, Gallery Ergo, Arch Enemy Gallery, Austin Art Garage, and Sebastian Foster Gallery, as well as guest spots at other spaces.
http://gfranciose.com/
Can you describe the core themes and emotions you explore in your current body of work?
A lot of my current work deals with the human experience and the weight and burdens we all carry, whether it be grief, anxiety, depression, etc., visualized as a large boulder-like mass looming overhead. The weight appears to be unavoidable and always there, looming, but there is also a levity to it, and it is not actively crushing our protagonist, but rather floating in a weightless state. Our troubles are as heavy or as light as we let them be because we decide how we respond to them, and they are created in our minds alone.
Another theme that often comes up is a flower or plant bursting forth from a character's chest, symbolizing the possibility of regrowth and hope after loss or death.
How does your creative process unfold from concept to completion?
For over five years now, I have been doing what I call Morning Coffee Paintings. They are daily-ish paintings in the morning while I drink my coffee. I try to start with a completely blank slate and no preconceived idea or imagery in my head and just start sketching until something sticks, then I finish it off with watercolor and gouache. I timelapse the whole process with my phone, which not only keeps a record of the creation but also keeps me focused and sets a sense of urgency to keep going, trust myself, and just let things happen. The whole process is very organic and allows themes and imagery to come up from my subconscious freely without any judgment or editing. The resulting pieces have turned into a large body of work of studies that I can then pull from to create the more substantial paintings that I do.
What inspires you most outside of the visual arts, and how does it influence your work?
I would say the largest influence for me is being out in nature. I moved to Seattle six years ago, and the wild, lush, dramatic landscape surrounding me in this corner of the world is seemingly endless in its inspiration. Especially the wild Pacific Coast and the lush temperate rainforests, where the circle of death and life is so clearly evident.
What message or feeling do you hope viewers take away from experiencing your art?
I try to keep my work open to interpretation, and I don't know that I hope for any specific takeaway for a viewer. Some people really resonate with my work on a personal and emotional level, and that is a very special thing for me to experience. I know that there can be a heaviness and sometimes melancholic feel to my work, but I also always try to show a bit of hope and lightness as well. I guess I hope people can see the beauty and light in the dark.
