Artist Snapshot: Francine Tint

[1]

At what age did you decide to become an artist?

Very young, twelve years old. I became more committed to it at nineteen.

How did your parents react when you told them you wanted to be an artist?

They were not happy. I became dedicated to painting when my mother passed away.

Who are your favorite artists?

Hans Hofmann, Helen Frankenthaler, and Édouard Manet.

Who is your favorite artist whose work is unlike your own?

Cézanne. His ability to leave things out. I like his clumsy drawings and his originality. His way of embellishing, elevating a simple apple or orange to something important.

Art book you cannot live without?

Matisse [2]by John M. Jacobus.

What is the quality you most admire in an artist?

Dedication and color.

Do you keep a sketchbook?

Never.

What’s your favorite museum in all the world?

The Met and the Frick.

What’s the best exhibition you have ever attended?

Delacroix[3] at the Met in 2018. Sargent: Portraits of Artists and Friends[4] at the Met in 2015.

If you were not an artist, what would you be?

A mother.

Did you have an artistic cohort that influenced your early creative development?

Clement Greenberg.

What is one thing you didn’t learn in art school that you wish you had?

More drawing and more figure.

What work of art have you looked at most and why?

Jackson Pollock’s Autumn Rhythm[5] at the Met. I like his energy and freedom.

What is your secret visual pleasure outside of art?

Fashion.

Do you listen to music in your studio?

I’ve never painted a painting without listening to jazz.

What is the last gallery you visited?

I saw Ken Noland at Yares Gallery[6].

Who is an underrated artist people should be looking at?

I think Hans Hofmann is underrated.

What art materials can you not live without?

Large brushes, rollers with poles.

Do you paint/sculpt/create art every day?

No. I spend the rest of my time applying to grants, reading about art. All the other parts of being an artist.

What is the longest time you went without creating art?

Two months when I had a hip replacement.

What do you do when you are feeling uninspired?

I don’t wait for inspiration. I get inspiration through the work.

What are the questions that drive your work?

Life and death and life’s experiences.

What is the most important quality in an artist?

Devotion.

What is something you haven’t yet achieved in art?

Enough recognition.

What is the best thing about art in the era of social media?

Getting my work out there. Reaching more people, a larger audience.

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FRANCINE TINT (@francinetint[7]) was a student of Vaclav Vytlacil at the Art Students League during the mid-seventies. Her most recent solo exhibition, Broken Silence, was on view at the Stephanie Ann Roper Gallery, Frostburg State University (MD) in October. Tint will be teaching a two-day workshop Gestural Abstraction: Expression Through Color[8] on March 12 and 13, 2022 at the Art Students League.