Jon Francis’s artistic journey has evolved over the years. As a child growing up in Colorado Springs, his mom sent him to the Fine Arts Center to “work out his energy.” He wanted to do comic books, so he took drawing lessons, but it was painting that eventually hooked him.
He later took art classes at Palmer High School, where he learned from renowned Colorado Springs artist Floyd Tunson, whose work Francis would later see celebrated citywide. He mastered the mechanics, building his own canvas and taking ownership of his art. That first canvas wasn't small, either. "It was a 2-foot-by-3-foot painting," Francis says with a laugh. "That was my first."
He went on to study at Knox College in Illinois, earning a studio art degree. The Art Institute of Chicago introduced him to the work that would shape his artistic voice—pop art, Edward Hopper, and street photography. But after graduating, he says he floundered a bit with no clear path forward. He returned to Colorado Springs, got married, and started a career as a teacher. Was art just a temporary passion that he needed to leave behind? That question was answered by a chance encounter with his former teacher.
Finding His Space
“Floyd asked me how my art was going,” Francis says. “I was telling him I hadn’t had much time for it. I’ll never forget what he said to me: ‘You make space.’ And I did.”
That advice put Francis on a new path as an artist. He built a studio in his attic and later in his garage; despite his somewhat chilly environs, he couldn't wait to create again. His first shows were humble—the library, or wherever anyone would hang his work. Francis had rediscovered his passion. "Art, to me, is not something that I just do,” he says. “I have to do it. If I don't come down to the studio and create, I'm not myself.”
The City as Canvas
There's no mistaking how much Colorado Springs has inspired Francis's art. He says the city is both his subject and muse. Filled with urban landscapes and neon signs, his style marries the bold imagery of Andy Warhol with the moody street scenes of Edward Hopper—bright, vivid, and rooted in place. He finds beauty and art in the quirky and the ordinary. "I've learned so much about this city through creating art," he shares. "It connects people and stories."
At one of his first shows, a man walked in and recognized a piece Francis painted of a drive-in liquor store on North Nevada Avenue. It turns out, he was the original owner, the first person to hold a liquor license in Colorado Springs. "Those connections you have with people, that's where art does something special,” Francis says.
That same connection is what drew him to teaching. His third-grade students get to explore art in every topic. "I decided not to be an art teacher because I would only get students a few hours a week," Francis says. "But as a third-grade teacher, I get to weave art into everything. It's not just arts and crafts. It's teaching history and English and math through art."
In August, Francis opens a solo show at Auric Gallery downtown. He's calling it “Colorado Springs Oddities and Alleys,” an homage to things only a native might know about: a house near Bonny Park with a clown totem pole, the May Natural History Museum, the historic Van Briggle Pottery building. "These things are super Colorado Springs unique," he says, "but off the beaten path."
Like Father, Like Daughter
These days, Francis’ basement studio is heated—a small luxury, he jokes. He shares it with his 14-year-old daughter Lucy, who recently sold her first piece at Surface Gallery's teen show. If she ever tells him she's been too busy for art, he knows exactly what he'll say: “You make space.”
For more on Jon Francis and his work, visit jonfrancis.art and auricgallery.com
"I've learned so much about this city through creating art," Francis shares. "It connects people and stories."