Francesca Profili is a Canadian artist of Italian descent, born in Cairo Egypt. She now resides In Maple Ridge, British Columbia where she creates the unique art form that she developed over the last 20 years. Her work has been on display in numerous private and public galleries in and around Vancouver B.C. and in a solo exhibition at the Canadian Museum of Craft and Design.

A self-taught artist, Francesca uses the symbolism of the mask as a vehicle of expression. Historically masks have been used for concealement or transformation in religious and theatrical traditions: they express emotions, ideas and links with spiritual forces. Like human faces, they convey a world of meaning in non-verbal ways. Similarly, Francesca uses the universal language of the mask to communicate with the viewer both at a conscious and a subconscious level.

A great deal of research precedes the creation of her illustrations as well as the texts where she writes the ideas behind each theme. The masks she creates are individually sculpted and built out of a sort of paper-based laminate that is very thick and surprisingly strong. Each face is an original that is never replicated (some are life-size, others are much larger). It then becomes her "canvas", that is the surface on which she illustrates her theme. The mask is also permanently mounted on a background such as shaped stone, wood or driftwood and adorned with a variety of materials. The lengthy process of creating each piece is a time-consuming and labour-intensive technique that she developed to suit her art form. It involves at least 15 different steps that take many weeks or months to complete, depending on the complexity of the piece. The entire piece is also protected with museum-quality varnishes.

Francesca Profili's original artwork is also professionally photographed to create Limited Edition Prints. These are digital images that are then printed with a giclee process that uses UV-resistant inks on high-quality canvas, which is then mounted on stretchers. It is also available rolled rather than stretched and framed or unframed. 

The following work is currently available at Dreamscapes Gift Gallery 11987-224th Street, Maple Riidge, B.C. V2X 6B4 Canada (tel.604-466-9991) or you can enquire about them at info@dreamscapes-gift-gallery.com 

Please click on an image below to view a larger version as well as the title, the dimensions and a brief description of the theme:

 

Powered by CityMax.com