Sausalito Artist Frances Galli 90 Years Old and Still Painting

Suzie Bucholz and Frances Galli in Suzie's Studio

On November 5th friends at the ICB Building in Sausalito helped Frances Galli celebrate her 90th birthday. Her husband of 67 years joined us and many women spoke of Francis as their inspiration, mentor and role model. Frances has always been an artist with over twenty years in her Sausalito studio. She met her husband when they were both working for Patterson and Hall, an art agency in San Francisco that handled work for the high profile advertising agencies of the day.

Frances' husband, painter Stan Galli in Frances' studio before party

Dani Roach, Leslie Allen, Aiko Morioko, Elaine Gentile

Frances and Stan spent twenty five summers in Italy and two full years in Rome and all of this "Italian" is reflected in the colors and subject matter of her paintings. But these are only the facts. Here's the real story:

Frances, at ninety, still drives from her home in Kentfield to Saualito almost every morning to work for several hours in her studio. She's sharp and she's amazingly beautiful. She participates in all our Open Studios and has a bunch of new paintings each season. Frances is sweet, funny and helpful. We all want her for our best friend. But most important to me is that she has added twenty-five years (at least) to my painting life. I could never find a role model when I was young. The women painters in New York were still married to male artists and they served their husbands. Only later did the Helen Frankenthalers and Lee Krasners become known and successful on their own. What a relief for me, The Oldest Woman on the Web, to finally want to emulate this older woman committed to painting all her life! We love Frances and celebrate her life!

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