KOCHI: K A Francis has always been expressive about nature. Through 'Kannur Kazhchakal', he sketched the sights and sounds of Kannur which were exhibited as paintings in several parts of the country. His latest work 'Ona Pacha', which include 30 canvas paintings done in acrylic medium, has focused on the colour 'green' with a tinge of yellow. There are the meandering green hills towered by snowy mountain peaks. The rain pellets on the ground, the yellowish flash from a car beam during the night have been uniquely expressed through his work.
Francis, who is conducting an exhibition at Kochi after five years says that the paintings were completed in a span of one-and-a-half years. Son of Antony master, a well-known painter, Francis spend most of his childhood under the influence of brush and colour. In Haridwar, he was trained in tantric painting and is a master of Vishnupaadom and Lakshmipaadom drawings.
Game-changer
Francis was instrumental in tranforming Kozhikode into a city of statues. These statues, which were created by noted sculptors from India, have become a major attraction for visitors to the Kozhikode beach.
It was also under his leadership, that Kottayam town was converted into a 'mural city'. Francis brought in around 250 artists from across the country and converted major locations, including the Kottayam collectorate into works of art.
Cartoon museum
K A Francis put in a lot of efforts to materialise the first cartoon museaum at Kayamkulam, created as a tribute to K Sankara Pillai, political cartoonist. Apart from these initiatives, the editor-in-charge of a leading malayalam weekly, Francis was the first to start auction of paintings in Kerala.