Cozy and comfortable. That is the vibe artist Angela Francis has strived to create at AFFA Studio, an art collective that provides a place for local and emerging artists to get creative.
Francis started the studio, located at 119 Sophia St. W., in 2014 after finishing her Bachelors of Art degree and returning to Barrie, where she’d also attended Georgian College.
“I couldn’t find a job (and) someone once said to me if you can’t find a job you love, to create it, so I created an art studio starting from a kitchen table and it just kept growing from there,” she said.
Over time, the studio has become a place where artists of all skill levels can come to create art at a space that is inclusive.
“I wanted to make sure that everyone felt safe and felt like it was a place they could come anytime … My door is pretty much always open.”
Pre-pandemic, Francis offered studio paint nights which, over time, grew to include different teachers and different styles, based on the instructor’s art skill. As an art collective, AFFA offers local and emerging artists who have something to offer a chance to teach without having to pay rent on a space.
“I know how hard it is to be an artist and to have to pay monthly for a space, so I do it on a commission basis," Francis explained. "Then we also have art shows and an art auction, which is coming up."
During a “normal” year she hosts an annual art show called The Secret Garden, during which she would open up the garden, fill all the walls with art and open the doors to the community.
AFFA has also collaborated with the City of Barrie and has had art on display at City Hall for over a year. Francis said she also provided several Zoom workshops for The MacLaren Art Centre and works hand-in-hand with several local charitable organizations.
Francis knows how important it is to have a place and an outlet to be able to express yourself.
“One of the main things is mental health and mental health inclusivity. I suffer from depression and anxiety so I know what it means to be able to take that hour and set it aside to be able to paint," she explained.
"Normally, something you love gets pushed aside by things we have to do. To me, there’s nothing you 'have' to do,” she said. “Nothing is perfect in art and things become what they want to become. It helps to free your mind to just sit back and do something creative.”
Over the last 14 months, Francis has been offering virtual workshops, but admitted she is not a big fan of virtual art classes.
“Art is a very tactile thing, and it’s more about the environment and being able to absorb the energy from the artists around you. I believe a lot of energy is being shared,” she said, adding she is hoping to be able to offer outdoor workshops once the public health guidelines allow her to do so.
“With the lockdown, people have been asking when she will reopen as they’re eager to get back in the studio to get creative and are ready for a change of scenery. Having this, for many, is an alternative to going downtown on a Friday night. They want to sit with a few friends in a comfortable setting where it’s very casual … it’s like you’re coming to your family.”
Francis said her workshops offer something a little different than your typical paint nights.
“You’re not just copying the person in the front of the room. Everybody gets to do their own painting… because everybody has their own style and I try to (encourage) that with everybody who comes here," said Francis.
"I may not be good at landscape, but I am good at portraiture. Somebody who comes who is a newbie, we have to find their style. Not everybody is good at everything, so it’s important not to get discouraged.”
As for her own work, Francis said her strength is in portraiture.
“My work is about women … and I am trying to include my LGBT side because it’s about identity for me as well as strength,” she said, adding as a preacher's daughter she has struggled over the years to overcome guilt that was instilled in her and strives to live her life as who she knows she was meant to be.
“In order to be a true artist, you have to be able to speak your truth. I have been trying to express that in my art a little bit more to be able to have art that speaks more to being true to me,” she said. “Instead of just portraiture, I want to be able to tell a story and go deeper into the meaning of the art.”
