Florida Times-Union – Jacksonville, FL
January 11th 2002
No one can capture the moment quite like Frenchy.
Randy Leo Frechette, a.k.a. “Frenchy,” is a New Orleans-based
artist who paints lively rock concerts and sporting
events in real time, painting the action as it happens.
For the past six years, Frenchy has captured the roar
of the crowds, the syncopated rhythms of the music
and the energy of the places in vibrant colors.
“It's a funky style of painting.” said Ron Frechette,
the artist's brother, who lives in Jacksonville .
“He takes the energy of the crowd and the music and
slaps it on the canvas with a paintbrush.”
Last week, the Gator Bowl Committee hired Frenchy
to tackle the gridiron with paint, and he produced
three canvases while Virginia Tech Hokies played the
Florida State Seminoles at Alltel Stadium.
“It was awesome,” said Frenchy, 31. “You could hear
the players hitting each other, the coaches yelling
and the cheers from the crowd.”
His three 20-by-30 paintings show tackling sequences
from the game and were bought by a private collector.
Stellers Gallery in San Marco Square carries some
of Frenchy's other works. Frenchy considers himself
a “performance artist,” often times swaying to the
music and dancing as the paints. Only hot colors will
do.
“I've tried to paint in monotones, but the energy
doesn't let me,” he said. “All this color just comes
out, and I want to go with bright colors.”
Frenchy got his start when musician friends, the Boston
Horns, asked him to paint them live. Since then, he
has gained recognition by performing on Election Day
1996 in Little Rock , Ark. , while former president
Bill Clinton made his acceptance speech. He also painted
in Australia during the 2000 Summer Olympics, on a
float during Mari Gras and at several high-profile
concerts. His favorites include the Grateful Dead's
Phil Lesh, Blues Traveler at Red Rocks and Sting at
the New Orleans Jazz Festival.
In November, he opened his own gallery in the French
Quarter. His originals go for about $3,000 to $8,000.
Someday, Frenchy would like to paint from the orchestra
section of every Broadway play. And, it seems, he's
caught bowl fever.
“I'd like to paint the Super Bowl.” Frenchy said.
“That would be great energy.”
Ivette M. Yee can be reached at (904) 359-4697 or
via email at iyee@jacksonville.com
