CONTEMPORARY ARTIST HELEN LAFRANCE DIES AT AGE 101 (NOVEMBER 2, 1919-NOVEMBER 22, 2020)

It is with a heavy hard that I tell you that American artist Helen LaFrance passed away peacefully in her sleep November 22nd. Her obituary has been published in newspapers around the country. Last November 2019, Helen celebrated her 100th birthday with friends, family and patrons of her work who traveled from as far as Nashville and Memphis to visit with her. Guests visited two churches that Helen went to, and watched a screening of the 2019 award-winning documentary Helen LaFrance Memories about her life and her art.

Over the years, starting in 1995, I've come to know the kind and generous and talented Helen LaFrance. I've written about her in articles and books, Outsider Art of The South and Helen LaFrance Folk Art Memories, and I may have sold you one of her paintings. For those of you who don't know of her, by now you should have. She had the rare ability to connect with people emotionally through her art. She also made wood carvings, quilted and created a series of visionary paintings. Please read her obituary and learn a little more about her on this blog and on my website www.justlookingantiques.com. 

Helen LaFrance was a Black contemporary American artist who witnessed a century of our country's life and who painted her truth and her memories. She was content whenever she was holding a paint brush which, as she'd told me many times, "when I'm not eating or sleeping, I'm painting." Sleep well, Helen.

https://www.inquirer.com/wires/ap/helen-lafrance-who-painted-rural-memories-dies-101-20201124.html

HELEN LAWRENCE MEMORIES DOCUMENTARY CRUSHED IT AT PALM BEACH INTERNATIONAL & MINI MOVIE FESTIVAL DECEMBER 2019

I am thrilled to report that the Three Palms Productions of the Helen LaFrance Memories documentary won three awards----for best documentary film, best feature film and best director Martin Scott! The film festival was held at the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, Florida and the film was screened to a cheering audience. The film was in good company and it is pretty prestigious. Even Marilyn Monroe and Elvis showed up! I am honored to have appeared in the film and in such a great project that focuses not only on Helen's outsize talent but on her kindness, generosity and work ethic. The film would not have come about without the persistence of Bruce Shelton, who like myself has always wanted the world to know about Helen LaFrance. 

The film followed the November celebration of Helen's 100th birthday in Mayfield, Kentucky, with a screening of the film and a party in her church where attendees came from far and wide to pay their respects. The Associated Press picked up the story, and it was featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Philadelphia Inquirer, to name a few newspapers.

We are excited to see where the film will go next so the public can enjoy it. 

For a sneak preview of the documentary, copy & paste this               link in your browser.......
                           
                                                                   https://youtu.be/vU2tuiu1vis