With a love for nostalgia, Francis Livingston paints places which may no longer exist or that have lost their luster. His bold and impressionistic paintings take the viewer back in time to the day when amusement parks with wooden roller coasters, movie theatres with neon signs and buildings with ornate embellishments were in their prime.

Livingston is known for his thickly applied brush strokes that emphasize shape rather than line, creating an abstract approach to realism. His scenes of yesteryear have exciting movement, color, texture and balance. This artist’s urban cityscapes are reminiscent of the Ash Can School of the early 20th century. He seeks to portray a unique spirit and give us a sense of the pulse of life which once existed.

Influenced by Sargent and Whistler, he initially painted primarily in a monochromatic style. Then he began to study the work of the Bay Area Figurative Movement, including Richard Diebenkorn, Wayne Thiebaud and others. That led to experiments with color and a fondness for the California and French Impressionists.

After teaching art at the San Francisco Academy of Art and after many years working as an illustrator, Livingston has developed a unique style which has led to his successful career in fine art. His nostalgic paintings invite those who view his art to picture themselves in another place in time when life was more simple and moved at a slower pace.

Statement
A good portion of my paintings involve that moment when an individual, by themselves, might take the time to make the same observations as I have. The subjects that I paint, whether they are abandoned movie theaters or amusement parks, must have a sense of time and place. I need to feel the emotion, either good or bad, about the place or subject

EDUCATION
Rocky Mountain School of Art, Denver CO
Academy of Art College, San Francisco, CA

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2003
Greenwood/ Chebithes Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
Thomas Reynolds Gallery, San Francisco, CA Leslie Levy, Scottsdale, AZ

2002
Dances with Wolves, Medicine Man Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
Medicine ManGallery, Santa Fe, NM
A Sense of Time And Place, New York, NY
Symmetry in View, Diane Nelson Fine Art, Laguna Beach, CA

2001
Arrangement and Rhythm, DNFA, Pasadena, CA

2000
Thomas Reynolds Gallery, San Francisco, CA

1999
Thomas Reynolds Gallery, San Francisco, CA

1998
Thomas Reynolds Gallery, San Francisco, CA

1996
Thomas Reynolds Gallery, San Francisco, CA

1995
Thomas Reynolds Gallery, San Francisco, CA

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2002
Introduction, Leslie Levy
International Summer Invitational, Arcadia Gallery, New York, NY
Art Miami, Arcadia Gallery, Miami, FL

2001
Medicine Man Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
About Paint, Art Institute of Southern California, Laguna Beach, CA
The Pool Show, DNFA, Pasadena, CA

2000
Inaugural Exhibition, DNFA, Pasadena, CA
Diane Nelson Fine Art, Laguna Beach, CA

2000
Museum of American Illustrators Annual Show, New York, NY

1984 – 2000
Society of Illustrators, New York, NY

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

1992 – 1982
Instructor of Painting, Figure Drawing Illustration and Colors, San Francisco, CA

PUBLICATIONS

2002
Southwest Art, January, “Remnants of the Past” Hemispheres, October