Francine Gealer
Written by Jessica Pregnolato | Photos by Francine GealerUpdate: Catch Fran weekly at her pie pop-ups with Pinholita Coffee VanDeer Heart by francine gealer
I am holding in the palm of my hand a miniature collage by the artist, photographer, and baker, Fran Gealer.
In the center of the card stock, there is a stunning pink rose the size of my thumbnail with butterfly wings that give the rose flight, while moss green petals flutter towards the bottom of the paper and hover, giving this tiny piece of art a sense of nature in motion. The piece is soothing but also seems to have a life of its own, unwilling to settle, and asking to be deciphered in more than one way.
Fran received her first camera at age 7 from her father, leading to a life of travel and photographs that are rich with detail, revealing authentic trust from her subjects. They conjure up a deeper breath from the observer, a slow bittersweet appreciation for another part of the world that not just any person with a camera could possibly capture.
Fran sees herself as reclusive; she is often quiet and observant and doesn’t like to talk about herself very much. But get her talking about a pie she recently made, or what she might be conjuring in her small, pristine kitchen, and she blooms open. She currently bakes for a few lucky friends and chefs in town for private events. Maybe you’ve been lucky enough to have one of her stunning hand pies, stuffed with local seasonal fruit, with a crust that hits the delicate balance of salt and sweet and shows off the filling with confidence, never being overbearing, and like her collages, leave you wanting more.
And now Fran can claim herself a chocolatier, helping to make the Beato Chocolates that are sold by Porch Gallery in Ojai. Some of her collages can be purchased as cards in the gallery’s gift shop.
Fran’s fascination with collage might be the meditative focus she achieves while “deconstructing a world or creating an alternate universe;” one where gnomes, butterflies, and bunnies live in a harmonious juxtaposition, occasionally visited by spiritual totems and holy figures.
She finds the collage artist Hannah Höch to be a great influence, a German Dada artist who is said to be one of the originators of photomontage. Fran strikes a chord in the harmony she constructs while weaving the images she works with into composition and color.
She finds the collage artist Hannah Höch to be a great influence, a German Dada artist who is said to be one of the originators of photomontage. Fran strikes a chord in the harmony she constructs while weaving the images she works with into composition and color.
Growing up in the suburbs of Detroit, Fran has never lived in a small town before, migrating north from LA to Ojai like many of us. Before that, she lived for 14 years in NYC working as a photo editor for Travel + Leisure magazine.
During this time she would bake in the evenings and on the weekends, becoming gently obsessed with perfecting her pie crust. She used her co-workers as guinea pigs, who became magnets for her baked goods and were grateful that she was willing to share a deep and delicious talent.
Baking is another art form for Fran, something that feels “heart-centered and tactile”, an outward expression of her joy and creativity, able to be shared with others, bringing joy and delight.
During the early days of quarantine, as many of us dove into the world of baking and passed around jars of sourdough starter, she broke into new territory, creating vegan brioche, loaves and bagels, and an array of sourdough crackers that have become an underground sensation among the community.
One of Fran’s incredible photographs is a portrait of Beatrice Wood taken just months before her death in 1998. A lovely piece of synchronicity that she met and captured the woman who helped shape Ojai to become a creative mecca for artists and philosophers.
beatrice wood with her cat, fall of 1997 for travel + leisure magazine
Almost 25 years ago, Fran’s first trip to Ojai was on assignment for Travel + Leisure
On her way to Beatrice Wood’s studio, she followed a sign that read “ART DETOUR” to Carmen Abelleira’s studio. The editors were so captivated by her work and studio they gave her an entire spread.
As for Fran’s view on living in Ojai: she finds it womblike, and it has been comforting to be here during such a fractured time in the world. She surrounds herself with a small but treasured circle of friends, dotted with people she can trust and she is constantly inspired by. And who are always grateful to hear Fran say, “I’ll make a pie for anyone who asks me to.”
ojai, meditation mount THROUGH FRAN’S LENS
