Francha Cavitt
Mixed Media Painting and Jewelry
Through my passion for art, love of the beach, and working with a medium that encourages an abstract process, I have found a way to express that love and share it with you. My current mediums are epoxy resin mixed with pigments, paint, mica powders, and organic materials I have collected in and around San Diego. I strive to create unique, one of a kind paintings and jewelry that represents the unique spirit of San Diego.
I have a love of portraiture and figurative painting, as well. I work with watercolor, oil and acrylic paints. My ongoing series ‘My Personal Feminine’ is inspired by antique and vintage photos of women, many from my own family, and a desire to embrace my own version of femininity in my time in history.
My Story
As a child I would pour over my mother’s old childhood poetry books. I was mesmerized by the illustrations, not as much of the poetry itself as I was too young to understand the words, so I would make up my own stories to go along with the pictures. My interest in art had begun.
There were creative individuals in my immediate family, musicians mostly, that encouraged and supported my creative nature from a very early age. Their presence and positive example allowed me to see art as more than a hobby—something I could make a career out of. They continue to support me to this day, which I am grateful for because it’s easy to give up. I have had a lot of starts and stops over the years, but my inspiration to create art has been a driving force throughout my life.
The past 20 years of my life have been devoted to building a family, which included being a wife, mother and internet business-woman. After living in places like Sonoma County California and Flagstaff Arizona, I recently returned to San Diego where I grew up.
I am largely self-taught but have taken a number of college-level art classes and participated in figurative drawing and painting groups. My artistic ambitions include oil painting, watercolor, graphic design, illustration and photography.
My family photo archive has been a source of great inspiration for me—especially the women. In their faces and eyes I see their stories and sense their strength, as well as their struggle to be women in eras when female stereotypes were powerfully influential. Somehow they managed to pass along some of their spirit to me, and I am thankful for that.
My current works on paper are done in watercolor and India ink with muted tones of blue, black, burnt sienna and white. My subject matter is mostly the human form, but sometimes birds and seascapes as well.
I am currently a freelance graphic artist seeking additional opportunities for creative work.