Frannie (Frances) Loren Schwab, is the daughter of artists, and a native of Philadelphia, where she attended Friends’ Select School and, in 1969, received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from The Philadelphia College of Art (now known as The University of the Arts ). In addition, she has studied at The Monserratt School of Art in Beverly, MA, Penn State University, Syracuse University and The Art Students’ League in Woodstock, NY.  Some of her more influential professors include Will Barnet, Sidney Goodman and Edna Andrade.

In the early 70’s, living in Jerusalem, Israel, she worked as a commercial artist for the Yuval Tal advertising agency, art director of Graphix publishing company and as a draftsman in the archaeology department at The Hebrew University.

Returning to The States in ’73, she designed women’s and children’s clothing under her label, “Collage”.

In 1978, she founded Café Loren, a nouvelle cuisine restaurant in Avalon, NJ. There, on the beach, she was able to run her business in the summer tourist seasons and paint in the winter months, also teaching art in the Avalon Elementary School.  

In the early 80’s, after a move to Marblehead, she worked as art director of the North Shore Weeklies newspaper chain in Ipswich, MA.

In 1992, she created Paradiza, a card and gift shop in downtown Portsmouth, NH.  What started out as a hobby became more than a full-time business, and after selling it in 2005, she has returned to her painting.

Her shows include….

◊ Philadelphia College of Art, Philadelphia, PA
◊ Art Students’ League (exhibition and brochure), NYC
◊ Rittenhouse Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
◊ Avalon Art Expo, Avalon, NJ (First Prize, Oils), Avalon, NJ
◊ Wetlands Institute (solo show), Cape May Courthouse, NJ
◊ Georgetown Art Gallery, Washington, DC
◊ University of Delaware (juried show), Newark, DE
◊ Woodmere Art Gallery (juried show), Chestnut Hill, PA
◊ Painted Bride Art Gallery (with Gerald Lynch, sculptor), Philadelphia, PA
◊ Philadelphia Industrial Valley Bank, Philadelphia, PA
◊ Federal Reserve Bank (juried show), Boston, MA
◊ Monserrat School, Beverly, MA
◊ Boston Fine Arts, Boston, MA
◊ Gallery at OUI, Boston, MA
◊ Rye Public Library, Rye, NH
◊ Rye Ridge Greenery, Rye, NH

Her works in various private collections are located in….

Jerusalem, Israel; Washington, DC; Los Angeles, CA; Philadelphia, PA; Brookline, Marblehead, Swampscott, Waltham, Hopedale, Rockport, and Wellesley MA; Exeter, Portsmouth and Concord, NH; and York Beach, ME.

She is a current participant in The Memory Project, a volunteer program of artists who paint portraits of orphans so they have a token of their childhood.

She has been inspired by Vermeer, Matisse, Georgia O’Keefe, Milton Avery, Verdi, JS Bach, Leonard Bernstein, Jessye Norman, Marcia Ball, Pablo Casals, Artur Rubinstein, Jascha Heifetz, Salif Keita, Maya Angelou, Jacques Pepin, and many others.

Also key to her work is the happiness she derives from her wonderful family and friends, and beautiful New England surroundings.  She resides in Greenland, NH with her husband and dog.