Francis Sweet was born in Watertown, New York, in 1938. Demonstrating an exceptional artistic talent in his early years, he began his self initiated training in art while still going to grade school. He began his efforts in oil, and he still remains partial to that medium today. He has, however, perfected the unforgiving art of scratchboard to the level of recognition, by his peers, as the best in the field today.

Painting in his free time, Fran developed his technical skill and artistic vision with countless hours of intensive study in the classic disciplines of stilllife, portraiture and landscape. A devotion to his work has yielded a refinement of media mastery that is a trademark seen in his oils and scratchboards of wildlife today.  

Major Exhibitions:
Society of Animal Artists
"Art And The Animal"
Annual Exhibitions
Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum
Birds in Art
Wildlife: The Artist's View
Bennington Center For The Arts
"Art of the Animal Kingdom"
Annual Exhibitions
Wildlife Art News, 1993
Feature Article "How Sweet It Is"

Awards:
Award of Excellence
Society of Animal Artists
1991, 1996, 1998, 2004
2004 Henderson Art Alliance Award  at O.V.A.L.'s Henderson, Kentucky art exhibition
Leonard Mieselman Award
Society of Animal Artists 1991
The Pat Bott Award For Creative Excellence "
The Society of Animal Artist's 43rd Annual Exhibition 2003
First Black Bear Conservation Stamp
State of Maryland, 1996
First U.S. Doves Unlimited Stamp
1999 - 2000
National Wildlife Federation Stamps (4)
Waterfowl Conservation Stamp Designs (6)
  In 1986, with the urging of his art collectors and friends, Fran decided that a wildlife art career would be the course he would take, and he retired from business and distribution management. Following this decision, he "arrived" on the wildlife art scene by winning the 1987 MARYLAND DUCK STAMP COMPETITION (recording the first perfect score in the 14 year history of the contest). He has since gone on to win the 1990 IDAHO, 1990 DELAWARE, 1994 VIRGINIA, 1995 WEST VIRGINIA, 1995 NORTH CAROLINA HUNTING & LICENSING STAMP, and the 1996-97 FIRST BLACK BEAR STAMP for MARYLAND. Fran has just been commissioned to do the FIRST NATIONAL DOVES UNLIMITED STAMP for the United States Doves Unlimited organization.

A longtime member of the SAA and WNAG, Fran has displayed his work numerous times at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in their "BIRDS IN ART" & "WILDLIFE, THE ARTIST'S VIEW" exhibitions and tours. He has been awarded four "AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE" with the prestigious Society Of Animal Artists along with their LEONARD MEISELMAN AWARD FOR REALISM. Fran placed
second (" Almost There" - Emperor Penguins) in the Artists Magazine's 2006 animal catagory out of thousands of entries, and in 2005 he placed third ("Say Ahhh..." - Hippo) in the animal catagory in the same magazine, also out of thousands of entries. In the coming December 2006 issue of Artist's magazine, the image of his piece " Almost There" [ Emperor Penguins ] will be published along with a paragraph about the art. In addition Mr. Sweet has been the featured artist at many wildlife art exhibitions around the country, and his work has been auctioned at the famous CHRISTIES AUCTION HOUSE in LONDON. His work has been used for designs in the garment industry, and his art has helped grace the covers and texts of wildlife art books and conservation publications.		  


 

Images of Fran's paintings and scratchboards have been reproduced in over fifty periodicals nationally and in sixteen touring catalog exhibitions in more than forty museums and wildlife venues in the United States.

A major article was written in WILDLIFE ART NEWS in 1993, and the country of Zimbabwe invited him over as their guest to produce a piece of art for that country's collection in 2000.


Fran became a member of the Society of Animal Artists in 1990, was elected to the board of directors in 1998, and became president on January 3rd, 2001.

"When I paint, my goal is to create something that will excite me. The natural world and its wildlife is a source of ideas and subjects which continually motivates me to create. When others get the same enjoyment from my work that I get from creating it, I've accomplished my goal."

Francis can be reached at:

Francis E. Sweet Studios
1402 Port Echo Lane
Bowie, MD 20716
Voice & Fax: 301-249-6572
E-mail: fesweet@comcast.net

Click on a button to tour Fran's gallery