Last Leg Painting

Tim was born at Hamilton, Ontario but his earliest memories of being immersed in artwork were in North Vancouver when, as a young child, his mother, renowned artist Dorothy Francis, (dorothyfrancis.ca) used to sit him down at the dining room table with pastels and paper. Later, attending the Applied Arts program at Capilano College in North Vancouver, he was awarded government bursaries and college scholarships as well as a place on The Dean’s List. In the late 70’s and through the 80’s Francis worked as a newspaper executive in the areas of art direction, advertising, and marketing but continued to produce commissioned pieces until he and his wife, Janice, moved from North Vancouver to East Barriere Lake. Here he took up painting full-time, exhibiting in galleries in Victoria, Vancouver, Kamloops, Chemainus, Calgary, Montreal and Cannon Beach, Oregon. In 1990 an opportunity presented itself for the couple to purchase their local newspaper, which served BC’s North Thompson Valley. While the newspaper became a success financially for the couple, they decided to move on to other things and sold the paper in 1995. In 2001 Francis was featured as a ‘Master Painter’ by International Artist Magazine. Having moved to Kamloops in 2004, Tim continues to paint what he now describes as “Magical landscapes." He says he made a conscious decision to loosen up, both with the subject matter and with the technique - trying to convey his personal feel for the region in his new paintings. "I want viewers to recognize that magic exists behind every landscape, something we often forget as we go about our daily lives...”