Francesca Bruno Art

After a near death experience I felt compelled to do a painting expressing what I sensed during that time. Pure, innocent and looking up at the tree of life (which is very membrane-ish, anemonie-ish), I am vulnerable and in a fetal position. Looking up, I ask "why was I spared, why am I here?" In my painting the tree of life has three eyes, the third eye is symbolic of spiritual awakening. I was doing a lot of yoga at the time.

My near death experience was very cathartic and shook me to the core. Everything changed. My intuition and level of awareness grew exponentially. I re-evaluated and streamlined my life. I eliminated unhealthy relationships with disingenuous people. I discarded many meaningless materialistic objects.

The 3rd Eye painting has evolved into a tryptic. The first painting, representative of the present, and my near death experience. The second painting (now in process) is reflective of my past and what brought me to this point in time. The third painting looks toward the future. The three paintings will show the evolution in the level of consciousness and awareness, from the past to the present to the future, unfolding, stretching then finally standing grounded and reaching out to the universe, uninhibited and free.

These beautiful vintage molded glass window panels were destined for the landfill. I just had to rescue them. I brought new life to them by using viscose glass paint. I layered and overlapped beautiful translucent colours overtop the plain molded glass to transform the window panes into works of art.

I love the fresh, contemporary feel of the random brushstrokes meets petri dish effect. Colours merge and morph into beautiful unique designs within each circular cell. The thick paint took seven days to cure completely. It retained its free-flowing textural quality. I like the juxtaposition between the flluidity of the paint contrasting against the repetitive embossed circle motif. The two elements simulate fused glass.

Against sunlight, the colours glow and cast a prismatic spectrum into a space, lifting spirits and evoking feelings of happiness. I have many more ideas I'd like to explore and fifty-nine retro glass panels to go.

This is the story of how my Frankenstein cages came to be.

I was working at a design studio for a while when suddenly they lost two major accounts which resulted in my position being impacted and eliminated. It had me questioning whether I wanted to continue as a graphic designer or change direction. I found it hard to sleep. One night, to get past my insomnia, I cracked open a book, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Ironically there I was, unable to sleep but reading a book inspired by a dream. As I flipped through the beautiful etching illustrations my mind wandered and I suddenly got a great idea. I went looking for my twelve inch posable Boris Karloff Frankenstein replica figure doll and removed him from his collector’s box. I carried him down to the living room, unsnapped the iron cuffs with chains off his wrists and placed him inside my antique wrought iron bird cage. Frankenstein was freed from his box and we would work on his new bachelor living space together.

That’s what started it. I have always had an affinity for Frankenstein. We both rose from the dead (I flat-lined in May 2000) and we both have the same name. I guess Freud would say that deep inside my subconscious this was Frankie taking care of Frankie. The cage art installation was therapeutic and fun and soon became another positive outlet for expression. I went to a dollhouse store the next day and found myself wide-eyed and completely absorbed by the craftsmanship that went into all of the miniature displays. I was the child of hardworking immigrant parents, I never owned any of the toys other kids had and I believe this helped foster my creativity. I bought everything I needed, tiny electrical copper gauge wiring and various minuscule parts, miniature light bulbs and a transformer. It was hit and miss but fun to splice, twist, screw and fiddle while I blew a fuse or two. Finally finished, I plugged it in. Ta-dahhh! The beautiful little chandelier in the middle of the cage was eerily aglow and already casting mysterious shadows on the wall. I loved it! I made matching wall sconce lights by recycling a pair of Gothic drop earrings. I made a vintage TV out of pine and balsam wood and rigged the wiring inside of it so the TV tube glowed. I printed a picture of the Three Stooges to lay overtop because Frankenstein has a sense of humour and loves to watch slap-stick comedy. I made the control dial buttons and covered the speaker screen in vintage fabric and I used a clothes hanger for the rabbit ears antennae. I bought a broken little doll house dresser I knew I could resurrect and fix. I re-glued the legs, stained and varnished it and printed little label stickers to place on the drawers. I decided that Latin being the language of the Devil would also be appropriate for my medical monster. The first drawer label reads OCULUS AURIS MANUS ARTUS, (translation: Eyes Ears Hands Limbs). Frank was pieced together and would probably need extras. The second drawer label reads, VESTIMENTUM ORNATA (translation: Dress Clothes). Frank is a bachelor and needs swag for hot dates with "the Bride of”. I picked up an old Ken doll tuxedo that fit a little small but brought out his macho monsterness! The last drawer label reads FERRAMENTA CONNUBIALIS (translation: Sex Toys). That drawer stays closed. It’s Frank and his Bride's little "secretum”. Culture and literature prevail in the cage. Frank plays bass and accordion and he likes to read. I made him a “Metrosexual Monster for dummies” book, a classic Frankenstein comic book and a 1935 Popular Science article which I found on the internet, "Can science really raise the dead?" I printed a tiny version on parchment paper and crumpled it to look like an old newspaper clipping. There are also pets and a cage within the cage. It’s stays open, the bats fly around and tray cats come and go. Frank has collected various items that are hung on his cage cell bars, a bicycle and roller skates are among them. I’ve created a grown up doll house meets art installation; the Bovine Sex Club (in Toronto) meets Nosferatu meets schtick!

As years passed I added, removed and changed elements inside the cage. After a while, I realized Frank must have been lonely and yearning for friendship, just like in the movie, the Bride of Frankenstein. I went on eBay in search of a mail order bride. Found, purchased and had her delivered. Frank finally had his mate.

That’s when my madness continued to spread onto a side-split antique cage condo beside Frank’s place. The only major piece of furniture in the Bride’s cage is her beloved make-up vanity. It was originally a vintage bright pink Barbie dresser (also bought on eBay). I painted it brown, made the copper tesla coils, rigged the lights and made tiny lipsticks, other perephernalia and an excess inventory of extra strength hairspray cans because the Bride’s up-do is high maintenance!

I loved working on this art project. It took on a life of its own evolving into something very unique and almost magical. At Christmas time I add a pathetic little Christmas tree with working lights and the macabre couple give little gift wrapped presents to one another. The best is when people come over and look into my whimsical Frankenstein cages. I love seeing their reactions, their childlike expressions and heart warming smiles.

I paid hommage to my ethereal near death experience by creating a "zero gravity" resin ring. A symbolic representation of my out of body experience. The incredible lightness of being... zero.

The second attempt at making a dome resin ring, I embedded a page from a very old Italian book which belonged to my parents. The excerpt was taken from a love letter professing unrequieted love.

The third dome ring portrays ageless beauty. I embedded a page from an old art book, the quintessential beautiful face of Botticelli's Venus de Milo.

Lastly, I became more confident and experimented with a crystal quartz shard, building resin around it. I wanted to create a very natural, raw and unrefined look.

I embedded natural rocks and stones into industrial clay and sculpted the base as a continuation of the organic formation. The soft clay rings were baked, then painted and coated in a protective acrylic resin. I experimented with various stones and techniques. Some rings are antiqued and distressed, others are embellished with gold pigment powder. Each ring is a unique work of art. My favourite rings are the raw opal and fossilized brain coral. I get stopped and complimented every time I wear them.

Stones used: aragonite, raw opal, malachite, turquoise, fossilized brain coral, black tourmaline and pyrite.

Random favourites.

I modified my vintage black rotary phone so I could have my own direct line to Hell.

Later, I welded a singular apple stand and named it my Original Sin Display. An apple a day doesn't keep the dentist away, but it can make you a saint or a sinner.

My mom told me a story of when she lived on the farm in Italy. They would dry corn husks and weave them into slippers, they also made little dolls for the children to play with. This peaked my curiosity in researching corn husk dolls. I discovered their origin from primitive natives of the plains throughout the world who also had wrapped corn husks into doll shapes for their children. This inspired me to make my own corn husk dolls for our family thanksgiving dinner centerpiece.

One beautiful sunny day I planned an outing with my parents. We drove to a local farm and handpicked several bushels of corn. I have fond memories of us out in their garden shucking corn together with old Italian music playing in the background. They kept the corn. I kept the shucks.

I laid them out in the sun to dry. Within days the soft vibrant green shucks became stiff and faded into a pale straw-like colour. I got the idea of boiling batches in different colours. The corn readily absorbed the dye and produced a lovely striation effect which added more dimension to the already existing textural organic quality.

I started the process by exploring the wonderful crepe-like fabric texture in a damp state, stretching, molding and allowing the unique character of each sculpture to develop itself. I named each one. Matilda was my first corn husk doll. I invisioned her by the hearth holding a broom. It was a lot of fun creating while revealing a myriad of personalities engaged in various hearth and parlour activities. I also explored creating corn flowers. Who would have thought that corn could look romantic?

I like the practicality of a large glass cookie jar. This round shaped was perfect to convert into a snow globe and I liked that the jar could be repurposed after the event. I bought inexpensive christmas lights with battery packs at the dollar store. I glued acrylic crystals to disguise the base and simulate ice formations. It also provided a platform for the deer to stand on. A few festive branches were added to create a magical winterland.

For another idea, I started with an inexpensive Ikea lantern. Sparkling Christmas stones and trinkets were placed inside over the base which hid the christmas light battery pack.

For another concept, I started with retro star shaped metal lights. They were embellished with aluminum Christmas snowflakes and sprigs of winter greenery. Black ribbon and randomly placed chunky rock crystals completed the industrial chic look.

It’s been many years since I first designed and dug out a pond in my tiny garden. Every season, I kept adding more rocks and built up levels to create a waterfall feature. A peaceful and zen place for me to practice daily meditation and unwind with yoga. Best of all, it’s a mecca for a many different species of birds and wildlife.

I built my first “Real Still Life” by assembling a frame, an easel and mounting a tin planter. I also created a version that could be hung on a wall. I rather like the way time, the sun and the rain have distressed and weathered the golden frame. Its gravitas provides a stark contrast to the fresh, vibrant botanicals. Every summer, I like to arrange different combinations of plants and flowers.