One of the things that drives me is a belief that the very fact of being involves relationship. No being – human or otherwise - exists alone. We are all interdependent beings within the whole.
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.. to be unconscious either to the oneness of life or the radical individuality of everything that has being is to fall out of relationship with the wholeness of which we are a part.
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John Philip Newell in A New Harmony
What does this interdependence mean for my life?
First, I need to be attentive to the needs of other beings because my ways affect them.
Second, the world around me gives me joy, a sense of wonder and nourishment.
I delight in our relationship, and never cease to be amazed at the resilience and the interconnections.
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Painting actually provides a way for me to prolong and deepen my part in the interconnectedness of the universe.
My hope for our world is that the connections increasingly involve love, altruism and positive contributions within and beyond the human community.
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Exhibitions
2023. Eyes Wide Open Good Shepherd Chapel Gallery Abbotsford
2022 Let's Get Loose with Compassion Good Shepherd Chapel Gallery Abbotsford
2019 At Home with Land Good Shepherd Chapel Gallery Abbotsford
2018 Wondering Good Shepherd Chapel Gallery Abbotsford
2017 Layered Being Good Shepherd Chapel Gallery Abbotsford
2015 Immersion Good Shepherd Chapel Gallery Abbotsford
2014 Balanc-zing Good Shepherd Chapel Gallery Abbotsford
2013 Women of Spirit Kinross Arts Centre Toorak
Commissions
Commons: The Environment Together as responsible stewards
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I have tried to depict the earth within the universe as multiple realities / beings which are interconnected in myriad ways. While human beings are a tiny part of the earth/universe, it is our responsibility to respect, connect with and care for it. Every time I thought about this I felt my arms reach out to embrace the universe.
Commonality: What unites us Walking together
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Much that is not good happens in our world and this can grind people down. However, alongside injustice and negativity there are millions of people walking alongside each other, with all their differences. That walking together produces something just, positive and beautiful.
Common Good: Preferential Option for the Poor Working together
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I began thinking about people and ecologies “on the margins”. We use different terms from time to time to express poverty, disadvantage and lack of access to what is necessary for life. What is required in this situation? A million and one things of course - standing with for instance. What I have tried to express in this painting is the importance, not of bringing people in from the margins, but rather a change within us all, so that they are in focus within our minds, our hearts and our systems. If they are central in our vision, our love, we will find ways to stand with them effectively.
For Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand
From Surviving to Thriving
Cover image for the research paper,
Hidden Exploitation:
Women in Forced Marriage, Labour and Migration
​For the Good Samaritan Inn
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What inspired these three paintings was years of being with people, particularly women and children, who are experiencing difficulties. I am trying to convey the terrible impact of many unjust situations. Just as importantly, I am telling stories of resourcefulness, courage, and hope, stories of the possibilities of engagement in solidarity. There are, however, as many stories in these pictures, as there are people who gaze at them. The greatest joy for me has 
been hearing women and children make their own meaning out of the paintings. I hope the 
experience helps them to honour themselves as I do.
Poetry
This book of poetry I published in 2002, but I have some copies still. Below is the text of a response on the back cover of the book from Brigid Hirschfeld.
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Fran savours life, from the simple joy of a tasty ‘cheese sandwich’ to the depth of experiencing herself as ‘just one person’. Her poems mirror back to us our own experiences of being tinlingly alive, of being woman, of relationship with God and with Mother Earth. Those of us who have struggled with injustice, with pain and with patriarchy, will be especially touched, and move to deeper understanding of ourselves and others.