David Francey, folk musician and three-time Juno award winner, had no trouble speaking to Coast Reporter on the phone from Calgary where he is touring. It’s his singing voice that gives him a problem. He was one of Canada’s top touring folk musicians for years until the hoarseness crept into his voice and his doctor told him to rest the vocal cords.
Undeterred, Francey took up painting instead and is now taking that artistic project on the road. He left Nova Scotia in April, toured through Alberta, and he will be appearing in Gibsons at Christenson Village on Friday, May 11 at 6 p.m. and Saturday, May 12 in an art show and songwriting workshop that is open to the public.
He likes touring, something many musicians loathe. “I’ve been doing nothing but touring since last year,” he says. “I meet fantastic people and they become friends. It’s a lot of joy to give up but I miss my family too.”
Switching to art from songs was just another way of using his creative energy, but it becomes unusual when Francey admits that he’s colour blind. “It’s a lot to overcome. I pick colours that I can see and put them together. If I get intermixing colours, I’m lost.” He refuses help from his wife, Beth Girdler, who he describes as a wonderful watercolourist, and he works in acrylic. His sparse scenes of the countryside and industrial areas are naïve and moody.
Christenson Village, a care home, seems like an unusual place for an art show, though he and friend Tony Girardin, a documentary film maker, arranged the event with Bruce Devereux, activities coordinator and creative organizer of such events. Francey will show about 20 mostly large paintings.
While he still had a voice, Francey gathered his favourite musicians and recorded his latest album, The Broken Heart of Everything, with his long-time band-mates Mark Westberg (guitar), Chris Coole (banjo) and Darren McMullen (mandolin, etc.) at Coole’s family cabin on Belmont Lake, a rustic setting. Francey’s lyrics are poetry and his themes cover the camaraderie of small-town life, the drudgery of the daily grind, the pride in an honest day’s work, the sadness of losing loved ones, the joy of close family connections and the quiet strength of mature love. The sweet violin of John Showman and the fiddle playing of James McKie also put in a star appearance on the album.
From 6 to 9 p.m. this Friday is the art show opening and social gathering. On Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon Francey will hold a songwriting workshop (registration is necessary) and also on Saturday, May 12 from 1 to 4:30 p.m. the public can view the artwork with the artist – all at Christenson Village, 585 Shaw Rd. in Gibsons. For more information or to register for the workshop, email: christensonvillage@mac.com or call or text 604-989-1958.
