Francie Bishop Good
Shaking Things Up in South Florida
Ever since she acquired her first camera with S&H Green Stamps way back in the 1950s, Francie Bishop Good has been an avid photographer and painter, pursuing subjects that explore the coming of age of her niece and the private domestic spheres of women and children. She and her husband, David Horvitz, are also avid collectors, focusing almost exclusively on works by women. And she is one of the founders of the Girls Club, a venue in Fort Lauderdale for shows, workshops, and lectures (the most recent exhibition featured works by Mickalene Thomas, Petah Coyne, Amy Sillman, and Elizabeth Murray).
After the 2016 election, Bishop Good turned to working with clay as a response to the dismaying political trends in the country. “She wanted to make work without thinking and as clay was a new experience for her, she allowed herself the freedom to explore this primal medium without any formal instruction in the traditions of ceramic and pottery,” says Bonnie Clearwater, director of the NSU Art Museum, where the artist’s works are on view through June 30 “Instead, she probed and kneaded the lump of clay until it magically emerged into an amorphous creature….For Bishop Good these ceramics are powerful talismans and also suggest the Gollum of Prague. According to Jewish folklore, a rabbi brought the gollum to life to defend the Prague ghetto from anti-semitic attacks and pogroms of the late 16th century. Similarly, Bishop Good’s creatures provide protection and solace for her against the barrage of unnerving current events.”
Our interview traces Bishop Good’s long and passionate involvement with art, collecting, and community.
Carly and Kapoor (2006), digital C print, 30 by 40 inches
Pink Dress (2009), digital C print, 30 by 50 inches
Pairings: Carly in Disney (2006-2018), synthetic polymer paints over digital photograph on canvas. Bisque-fired sculpture with underglaze and paints, 36 by 24 by 14 inches
Pairings: Yellow Sky with Profile (2018), synthetic polymer paints over digital photograph on canvas. Bisque-fired sculpture with underglaze and paints, 26 by 24 by 14 inches
Red Wakes Up (2017), bisque-fired Raku clay with synthetic polymer paints, 11 by 12 by 9 inches
Francie Bishop Good in her Fort Lauderdale studio
Bishop Good is represented by Mindy Solomon Gallery in Miami, FL.
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