Roosevelt François: Traditional meets digital

Favorite Quote: "Art is a lie that tells the truth" - Pablo Picasso

[Gallery 1: Paintings]	[Gallery 2: Paintings]	[Gallery3: Drawings]
Roosevelt François: Short Bio Age: 30 Born: Port-au-Prince   Resides: Brooklyn, NY Education: High School: Petit Seminaire College Saint Martial; Art School: ENARTS; Graphic and Web Design: CUNY (present) Milestones: Began painting in 1993; exhibited in Centre D'art and Institut Haitiano-Allemand Other: Francoro Design, President; founding member of Art group: "Haiti, Couleurs et Styles"

One look at Roosevelt François' portfolio is all it takes to realize the extraordinary range of talent this young man possesses. Seldom will one encounter such an eclectic display of styles and themes. Indeed, Roosevelt belongs to this brand of artists who will use whatever medium, technique and approach he deems appropriate for the topic at hand. He uses either oil or acrylic, paints over canvas, masonite, cardboard or dry walls, draws with charcoal, pencils or pastels, and even at times trades in the brush for the precise scalpel of the Adobe, Corel and Macromedia graphic suites. Still, Roosevelt strives to add excellence to versatility due to a profound desire to be not just good but among the best. He admires Frank Louissaint for his realism, Laurenceau for his depiction of children and he is drawn to Kandinsky's use of color and composition.

He credits his Art Schooling at ENARTS (Ecole Nationale des ARTS - Port-au-Prince, Haiti) for helping him discover new techniques and for the encouragement of his teachers. Yet, he values inspiration over talent and technique as being the most important to an artist.

Roosevelt's source of inspiration is diverse, but he admits being especially inspired by women, nature, workers, children, social issues, romance and daily human struggle. He tries to depict inner nature and inner strength, and appreciates human beings ability to cope with adversity and succeed without having to crush others.

Roosevelt has already known some measure of success as a painter. He participated in a number of prestigious exhibits in Haiti and has started showing in the New York area. Asked as whether he paints as a hobby or for business, he answered "Both. [Chuckles] I can paint to express myself or to have fun but I am also a professional and I can execute an art order". " I participated in 3 group exhibits in Haiti. It was very amazing to see how an artwork can shout a message. Money was the lesser of my worries especially when seeing people reacting to my work." "I want the viewer to see through my own eyes and understand the feelings that animate me. Most of my work is about emotions."

Beyond painting, he aspires to be a very successful graphic designer and web designer and wants to promote Haitian Arts. One of the projects he is most fond of is Haiti Couleurs et Style. A few years ago, Roosevelt and a few of his artist friends decided to join forces and talent to show to others what Haitian artists are capable of accomplishing, the quality of their works and the breadth of their talent. They are painters, and sculptors, and their talent is genuine. They are currently working on a website to showcase the project and are working on some exhibits for the near future.

As a person, Roosevelt is also full of humor. Asked which of his pieces he is proudest of and to describe a little bit what makes it a successful art piece, he answered "Difficult… I would have to answer this question every time I finish one." He carries hopes for the future of youth and for humanity. "What would you say to a kid who wants to become a painter?" He replied " Be sure to be a smart, educated, drug free, clean, free, honest and respectful artist. Be always eager to get better and better. Follow your dream beyond the imaginable. Don't let anything or anyone stop you from accomplishing what you believe in." And to end, "If you could do one and only one more painting, what would it represent?" His answer, "A big painting describing the world in a transition from an ill place to a healthy one."

Let's look at a sampling of Roosevelt's works in the gallery.

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