Franc’s solo exhibition opened at the Manning Regional Art Gallery (MRAG) on Saturday, January 21, where he is also scheduled to deliver a floor talk on Sunday, January 29.

Franc recently finished his diploma of fine arts at Kempsey TAFE and ‘The Forest’ will be his first solo exhibition at the MRAG in six years.

“The exhibition gave me confirmation I was on the right path,” Franc said. 

“It gave me confidence in my art and the reaffirmation of the importance of my studies at TAFE.” 

Franc continues to display his skills with Sumi ink, which is made from soot, to create dynamic, large-scale artworks using huge sheets of paper.

Franc creates the artworks outdoors using a hose and natural elements like wind and rainwater to create textures. Initially due to the large amounts of water needed to create these techniques Franc could lose artworks from the water weight. However, in recent years he has gone on to master the technique. 

The early ideas of 'The Forest’ began during his initial MRAG exhibition – but a personal break was needed from Franc’s art practice. 

“Since the last exhibition, I lost my partner, father and then my mother. I took a break from my art – but I was still thinking about the idea.”

Franc’s idea began with three tube tree-like artworks from his first exhibition, which in the ‘The Forest’ have expanded to close to 200 sculptures representing a forest of trees.

“This artwork was designed for this gallery – this room is just remarkable to work in.” 

Franc was inspired by the ‘deep, dark forests’ that feature in fairytales from the Brothers Grimm. 

“I began researching deforestation and its effects. When people look at deforestation they look at the last 200 years or so, but major forests of the world were cleared even before that,” he said. 

“This artwork is a monument to the lost, great forests of the planet.” 

With a background in horticulture, Franc is particularly interested in the loss of water from the atmosphere caused by clearfelling forests – water textures remain a key part of his artwork’s message. 

“We shouldn’t be clearfelling forests – we must replace what is cut down.”