Fiona Francois sits quietly within her own gallery on the main street of Deloraine, surrounded by her work, pieces that speak to the ancient, moody wilderness of Tasmania.
“I was always an artist as a child,” Francois says. “But I have actually made a career my entire life out of it.” That career began with graphic design, spanning over 20 years, including a decade in video games. But fifteen years ago, everything changed. She moved to Tasmania, and without similar work available, she began to draw again, first as a hobby, then slowly turning it into a business.
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“It took about 10 years to actually get my artwork to the point where I was earning a proper living out of it,” she says. “It is quite a difficult thing to do in a small town on an island.”
Deloraine, a central point between Launceston and Devonport, was chosen largely for its aesthetic appeal. “It’s a quaint little country town with mountains, the river, it was more of an aesthetic thing that clenched the decision,” she says. Only after settling in did she discover Deloraine’s artistic undercurrent. “I realised it was actually quite an arty town. Didn’t know that at the time. So obviously other artists had the same idea!”
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Her work draws deeply from Tasmania’s landscapes. “You become quite fierce about protecting it. You just don’t find this kind of landscape anywhere else,” she says. “It’s ancient. It’s gothic, it’s dark and broody. There’s all sorts of mystery about it.” That sense of mystery permeates her work, which often evokes what she calls Australia’s version of Lord of the Rings country.
For years, charcoal was her medium of choice. “I love the way that you can capture an incredible amount of detail and you can have that drama.” But recently, she has begun transitioning into oils, seeking to explore the sombre palette of Tasmania with new tools. “The moody broody colours of Tasmania, the low hanging clouds. It’s not tropical, it’s not bright. I don’t do bright colours. It’s just not me.”
Despite the acclaim, Francois remains humble about her work. “Every artist, once you finish something, you can’t look at it any longer. [You see] all the faults in it,” she says. “I can’t have my own art in my house.” Still, her latest oil painting hangs in the gallery as a point of pride. “It’s a new chapter,” she says.
Running her own gallery and online shop, Francois does everything herself or receives some help from her husband Christian, from framing to marketing. “It’s a lot of work and it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. You have to be almost a workaholic,” she admits. “I work seven days a week and I probably work 12 hours a day.”
Francois displays her art in cafés across Tasmania. “People don’t generally go looking for art. They generally just discover it,” she explains. “Cafés are a great place for that and they get a lot of people through. It suits the café owners as well because they have free art on their walls.”
Her work reaches far beyond Tasmania, with about half of her sales sent locally and the rest sent across Australia. Some pieces even make their way to the United States, Canada and New Zealand, though international shipping is tricky. “I haven’t sent many originals overseas because it’s too difficult to get it there.”
Looking ahead, she is focused on sustainability, finding ways to make a living from art without burning out. “I’m still hunting for the best solution for artists to actually make a living without working seven days a week,” she says.
Despite the challenges, Francois remains rooted in her choice. “When you’re doing something you love, I just can’t imagine doing anything else!”
