Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1514626
3 6 P E R S P E C T I V E | J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 4 N E W S Scenic, Title and Graphic Artists Craft Winner: Francine West A D G L I F E T I M E A C H I E V E M E N T AWA R D F R A N C I N E W E S T Francine West has painted all her life, but began serious study at Dallas Art Institute at the age of eight. She painted her first 50-foot backdrop at age fifteen. At sixteen, she received a scholarship from Coronado School of Fine Arts. In 1965, Francine was the first woman Scenic Artist hired at NBC television network in Burbank, CA. West has painted hundreds of large-scale murals, sets and backdrops for television, including NBC, ABC and CBS (where she was a staff Scenic Artist for four years), and film, including Warner Bros., Paramount and Universal Studios. In 1984, she was the first woman Scenic Artist hired at MGM Studios. Francine worked at Grosh Scenic Studios in Hollywood, where she painted projects for Epcot Center, including a 25-foot x 300-foot mural for the Mexico Pavilion, and she worked on the ceiling mural and balloons for the Land Pavilion. She was promoted to charge artist at Grosh and painted a figure for Rod Stewart that was 40-feet by 160-feet, along with murals for the Gerald Ford Museum, NASA Museum and Disney World. She has painted backdrops for theater, ballet (including Sacramento Ballet, Long Beach Ballet, Santa Barbara Ballet, Capital City Ballet and Peninsula School of Dance) and opera, many in a 20-foot x 50-foot, or 30-foot x 60-foot format. In 1985, West became the Scenic Artist at CSUS. She also found time to graduate magna cum laude with a BA degree in studio art in 1999. In 2000, she studied painting and art restoration at Studio Art Center International in Florence, Italy. After retiring from CSUS in 2004, Francine has worked on a theater restoration mural at El Campanil Theatre in Antioch, CA, and painted murals in private homes and businesses, including Cal Expo, Giftique and San Tomo. A. FRANCINE WEST. B. FRANCINE WEST PAINTING A DESERT BACKDROP AT GROSH SCENIC STUDIOS FOR UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. A B