“Ever since high school, I was interested in art. I used to draw and sketch and do things like that. I appreciate doing an art form called real life. The images involve actual incidents and close people in my life. I transform people into animals or creatures of some type. I have often portrayed myself as the coyote, which in the Native American tradition is referred to as the trickster. In that aspect, art has been an emotional outlet for me. I don’t do a lot of directly representational work, but I try to alter creatures, people, and the environment.
I taught university art courses – lithography, screen-printing, etching, studio art, watercolor, all of that stuff. I really enjoyed interacting with the students. I always had them hear from one another as much as possible, analyzing, criticizing, and understanding each other’s work. I still keep in touch with a former graduate student who lives near me now. I got him involved in fly fishing, and we have gone fishing on the coast of New Hampshire and Maine in recent years.
I have never been that good at writing. I love reading, especially works about good authors, but for me, it has always been about making pictures. I think, sometimes, a well-executed drawing can get more emotion across than a piece of writing.
I have been retired since 2005. Now that I’m not teaching, I devote my time to my own development and recreation. I am still involved with artmaking, showing work, and meeting other artists in the area. I am new to this area, so I am trying to meet more people around here. It has been very helpful meeting people and getting some social interaction.” – Fran Noel, Lyme, NH
