AUSTIN, TEXAS | OCTOBER 26, 2023 – Cloud Tree Studios and Gallery is honored to present

the work of esteemed Seattle and Austin-based artist Graham Franciose in "The Weight of it

All,” a compelling, never-before-seen collection of original watercolor and gouache paintings.

The exhibition centers around themes of grief, anxiety, and depression, but also of hope,

regrowth, and connections with each other and the natural world to overcome those heavy

feelings. Each of Franciose's pieces shares the experience of life’s lightness and darkness

through the artist’s unique illustrative style.

In many of Franciose's new works, a giant boulder looms above his characters. These boulders

appear to be both a massive, crushing weight, and also, paradoxically, floating in space,

weightless. Bearing rounded and smooth contours, as if sculpted by the churning ocean waves,

these stones represent the collective worries and burdens that we all carry within, the repetitive

thoughts tumble over and over in the churning ocean of our minds. They are the weight that

sometimes feels impossible to escape. These worries become a familiar part of who we are, at

times unseen but always present, much like our own shadows.

Yet, as Franciose skillfully depicts, these boulders are never truly crushing; they bear the weight

that we allow them to carry. After all, they are our own creations.

Graham Franciose is a Seattle and Austin-based painter and illustrator known for his unique

and captivating illustrative style. His work has garnered attention and admiration for its deep

exploration of human emotions and its ability to capture the complex interplay of light and

darkness in life.

“The Weight of it All” will be on display at Cloud Tree Studios and Gallery, located at 3411 E

5th St., Austin, TX, 78702 from November 11 through December 3, 2023. The gallery is open

from noon to five, Monday through Saturday, and Sunday by appointment only.

The opening reception will be held on Friday, November 10, 2023, from 7-10 p.m, as a fitting

kick-off to East Austin Studio Tour.