by actress Jasi Cotton Lanier
Vampires, Demons, and Angels: These are many of the recurring characters in horror movies. Each film has their own interpretation of these creatures and many artists have depicted their version of each. One such artist is fantasy illustrator Ric Frane who transforms gorgeous women into fantasy characters through his paintings. His work is highly visible on the convention circuit and after meeting him at the Chiller Theatre, I was inspired to share his artwork with the world.
Ric Frane's fascination with art began at an early
age. "I took classes with a local artist in her basement," regresses Delaware
based Frane. In high school, his attention focused on painting women after he
saw a Frank Frazetta book. Frazetta's legendary artwork fascinated the young
Frane and he began copying all of his paintings. Later, he started doing paintings
using his classmates and girlfriends. About ten years ago, Ric met his partner
Wendy at a picture frame shop, where both worked. They shared mutual interests
in artistic tastes. The two began dating and were married in 1993. They started
producing more artwork, often as a combined effort and starting exhibiting together
at different shows. Since then Ric's artwork has been seen in Blue Blood Magazine,
the Last Unicorn Game, CFD Productions, Brainstorm Comics, and Fauve's " Vampfire"
comic series. Many private collectors including several top comic and fantasy
artists have purchased his original art.
Ric Frane's work is revolved around recurring fantasy themes. His series include Angels, Demons, Vampires, Pirates, and Armed and Dangerous. Each theme exhibits strong female characters in a particular fantasy persona. "I have always been interested in strong female characters from mythology and comics. Some of my favorite mythological characters are Athena, the Morrigan, and Morgana le Fey. In comics, I'm a fan of Catwoman and Elektra," states Frane.
Ric leans towards powerful images of women, but his early work reflected more traditional images of fantasy art. "Fantasy art didn't always portray women as strong - particularly the early pulp book covers. They showed women as victims or background props, sometimes being carried away by the monster and needing to be saved by the hero. My early work wasn't much different, so I tried to make the woman into the hero, often saving the man without making a joke of it," remarks Frane.
How has his work evolved in recent years? "Now I focus solely on the female character, which is strong as well as sexy," says Frane."Just because she is nude doesn't mean she can't kick your ass."
And what aspects of a woman inspire him in his work? "Everything," shares his wife Wendy. "If a certain woman inspires, it is everything about her looks, personality, and the way she moves. Ric's model's play a significant role in his artwork." With a smile, Ric adds, "Their personalities often determine the subject of the painting. If they look aggressive or mischievous, they will probably end up a vampire or demon. If they are innocent they will probably end up as an angel."
Something unique about
Ric is that when he works with the models, he allows their input and ideas for
the shoot. "Sometimes a model will express an interest in being portrayed a
certain way," he says. "A lot of the final image depends on the mood of the
model and the pose. Tiffany Shepis and Nikki Fritz are perfect examples (of
models). Not only are they beautiful, but they have very strong personalities
and are very physically aware of themselves."
Frane has also used other genre actresses as models, such as Brinke Stevens, Manon Kelly and myself, Roxanne Michaels. Though B-Movie actresses are popular models for Ric, he sites another woman as his muse. "I am lucky enough to live with my biggest inspiration and favorite model, my wife Wendy."
Wendy told me how she came to model for Ric. "I remember years ago complaining to Ric that he never painted me. I don't complain anymore, he's painted me so many times now that I have lost track," says Wendy. She's also fascinated on how Ric transforms her in the paintings. "He portrays me in new and interesting ways all the time. He has painted me as sexy and sometimes dangerous, but always strong. Sometimes the characters look like me and sometimes he changes my features. He's given me blue eyes, red hair, and even changed my nationality. It is always interesting to see how I am going to look next.
"My favorite painting is Swept Hilt," she continues. "The character portrayed is a chick that is not going to take any crap from anyone! I like to think the look on her face is the real me, particularly when I'm pissed off. I think there is an (inner) strength in the way he painted that look."
Wendy's role in Ric's artwork goes past being a model. The two combine efforts to create artwork together and into inspire each others pieces. "I am also an artist. Ric and I often look for models together. We have similar tastes. We look for women who have great personalities and who are able to show their strong character through the way they pose," she explains.
Wendy also tells me that she is a big fan of her husband's work: "I love Ric's art. I think he portrays beautiful women, who are obviously individuals in control of their own lives and destiny. I find that more appealing than all the too plentiful images of helpless bimbos." This is something you'll never see in any of Ric's paintings: a helpless bimbo. He loves the strength of a beautiful, independent woman and that is reflected in his work.
What does the future hold for this fantasy illustrator? "Someday I would like to paint Julie Strain," he states. "Right now I am working on a web site at http://www.ricfrane.com/ where I sell originals as well as prints of my work," Ric says. Feel free to check out Ric's website and see his incredible work of Wendy (my personal favorite is Archangel), Tiffany Shepis, and the rest of his models.
(Writer and actress Roxanne Michaels is now known as Jasi Cotton Lanier. She has appeared in such films as Freakshow, Generation Ax and Troma's Terror Firmer. She can be visited on the internet at http://www.stuntbabe.com/) .
For information on ordering merchandise or convention appearances visit Ric:
Originally published in GC Magazine - Edited by Jon Keeyes.