Leo Franco
Leo Franco is best known for his wall relief sculptures and small standing interior wood sculptures. Leo sculpts/works with the natural beauty found in exotic hardwoods as he strives to bring out the characteristics of color, grain and texture. Leo’s sculptures and wall reliefs, incorporate other media like Plexiglas and steel rods which are manipulated by hand to reinvent and create nonobjective art.
Leo never begins his work with a theme in mind. Each piece he constructs is an improvisation. Each piece is a unique statement that evolves through the process of constructing it. It is a reflection of his consciousness. The finished piece of art must have a “Gestalt” look and an overall harmony and wholeness. Symmetry defines structure.
His sculptures are created by hand. For Leo it is the arrangement and placement of the material and how it all interacts that determines as to whether the piece is a success. Leo juxtaposes light and dark woods. He also uses positive and negative space within the constructs, both of which keep the composition open and loose in its appearance. Each piece can range from a very simple to a complex design.
Leo is influenced by modern classical music. Listening to music is very important to him. Other influences include philosophy both Eastern and Western and Japanese aesthetics. He is influenced by all nonobjective artists from the U.S., South America, Russia and England.
Leo is a former Co-Director of the Spark Gallery in Denver’s Santa Fe Art District which is recognized as Denver’s oldest co-operative gallery. He has produced numerous commissions and his works are in many public and private collections.
