Clare Francis

Born
in Thames Ditton, The United Kingdom
April 17, 1946
Website
http://www.clarefrancis.com/
Genre
Mystery & Thrillers



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Clare Francis's first novel; Night Sky was published in 1983 to international success. It went to number one in the Sunday Times bestseller list, and spent six weeks in the New York Times top 10.

Three more thrillers followed, Red Crystal (1985), Wolf Winter (1987) and Requiem(1991), which was published in the U.S. as The Killing Winds. Her first crime novel, Deceit was published in 1993, and dramatised for television in 2000. Four other highly successful crime novels have followed, and a highly acclaimed literary novel, Homeland. Her latest crime novel Unforgotten has just been published. Her books have been translated into 20 languages and published in over 30 countries.

Clare was born in Thames Ditton, Surrey, the younger of two sisters. Christmas holidays were spent with her grandparents in a remote corner of the Yorkshire Dales where she developed the love of landscape that is a feature of so much of her fiction. Summer holidays were spent on the Isle of Wight, where she learnt to sail at the age of nine.

After five years at the Royal Ballet School she went to an A-level crammer in Oxford (where she appeared in the university revue Keep This to Yourself), then to University College London, where she obtained a degree in Economics. She worked in marketing for three years before taking a year out to travel and discover what she really wanted to do.

What began as a personal odyssey turned into what she terms her 'unplanned' five-year career in sailing. The odyssey was an unsponsored and unsung solo voyage across the Atlantic, during which she read, listened to music and tried her hand at writing. Soon after, Clare was offered sponsorship to take part in the Round Britain Race with Eve Bonham. This was followed by the Azores and Back Singlehanded Race, the Observer Singlehanded Transatlantic Race, and, with a crew of eleven, the Whitbread Round the World Race. It was after writing three works of non-fiction about her adventures, Come Hell or High Water (1977), Come Wind or Weather (1978), and The Commanding Sea(1981) that Clare took the leap into fiction.

In 1977 she married Jaques Redon with whom she had a son, Tom, in 1978.

She is an MBE, a Fellow of University College London, and an Honorary Fellow of UMIST. She has served as Chairman of the Society of Authors (1997-99) and Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Public Lending Right (2000-03).

For the past twenty years she has been commited to the charity Action for ME, of which she is President, a trustee and member of the Council of Management. She herself has had ME (also known as Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) for many years.

Clare Francis lives in London and the Isle of Wight, and loves opera and walking. (less)

Laura Caracofe

Laura Caracofe saved to Vogue covers

Early January 1917 Lingerie Number Editor Elspeth Champcommunal Art by Claire Frances (Fanny) Avery, 1879 – 1927 Studied Pratt institute New York 1909 she began attaining some notoriety as an artist illustrator. New York Times review noted that Claire Averys renderings of the ballerina Geneé, "emphasized Miss Avery's remarkable gift for the interpretation of swift motion. The dainty elegance and grace of the dancer are caught with almost incredible truth and expressiveness."

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Pratt Celebrates Marc Rosen Scholarship and Education Fund for Packaging by Design at Gala

At its 2016 Art of Packaging Award Gala, a glamorous event that celebrates excellence in packaging design, Pratt Institute honored Jean Madar, chairman of the board and CEO at Inter Parfums, Inc., and introduced the recipient of the new Marc Rosen Scholarship for Packaging by Design, Damini Singh, an incoming first-year student in Pratt’s Graduate Communications Design program. Proceeds from the event, which was attended by 250 special guests, benefit the Marc Rosen Scholarship Fund for Packaging by Design at Pratt. Emceed by supermodel Carol Alt, the gala marked 27 years of the Fund, which has helped raise more than $3.5 million for scholarships for graduate packaging design students at Pratt.

The new Marc Rosen Scholarship for Packaging by Design will provide full tuition on the basis of merit to Singh. The scholarship may be renewed for a second year, making it Pratt’s only scholarship with the potential to cover the entire cost of tuition. Singh will begin studying for her graduate degree in Communications Design in fall 2016.

At the event, Madar, who was introduced by Gilbert Harrison, founder and chairman of Financo, Inc., accepted the Art of Packaging Award. For Madar and Inter Parfums, Pratt Institute’s Art of Packaging Award tops the list of many past professional honors and awards. The award is presented each year to a beauty/cosmetics company that has excelled in the art form.

Rosen teaches a course on cosmetic and fragrance package design, in which students are challenged to create a perfume bottle prototype, a scent card, box, shopping bag, and advertisement. To date, the Fund has provided scholarships to more than 100 Pratt students, many of whom have become industry leaders. This year’s student scholarship winners, whose fragrance packaging design work was on display at the event, are: Paula Ip (M.S. Package Design ’16), Talia Douaidy (M.S. Package Design ’16), Xinlu Liu (M.S. Package Design ’16), Fang Yi Chu (M.S. Communications Design ’16), Brielle Wilson (M.S. Package Design ’15), and Eugene Kim (M.S. Package Design ’15).

Image (L-R): Pratt Institute Provost Kirk E. Pillow, Pratt Institute President Thomas F. Schutte, Honoree Jean Madar, Pratt Institute Board of Trustees Chair Bruce Gitlin, Marc Rosen (photo: Andrew Werner)

Fine Arts Department’s Donna Moran Named Dean of the School of Art and Design at PrattMWP

Donna Moran, who has served the Fine Arts department in a number of high-level positions at Pratt Institute, has been appointed Dean of the School of Art and Design at Pratt’s Utica campus in upstate New York, Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute (PrattMWP). Students who attend PrattMWP take their first two years of Pratt’s bachelor of fine arts program on the PrattMWP campus and then finish their last two years at Pratt in Brooklyn. Donna will assume her new role on August 22, 2016.

“Donna has made significant contributions to stimulating and educating creative minds during her time on Pratt’s Brooklyn campus,” said Provost Kirk E. Pillow. “Her outstanding leadership over the years has led to the recognition of the Institute’s Fine Art Department as one of the top programs in the country. We are looking forward to continuing to work with Donna in her new role at Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute.”

Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute President Anthony J. Spiridigloizzi said, “Donna was selected, after an extensive nationwide search, and we are excited that she has chosen to join us. Her extensive experience as an artist, educator, and administrator will be a tremendous asset to our program."

Donna has dedicated her career to advancing art as an educator and a practitioner. She has held numerous roles at the Institute, from teaching life drawing, painting, printmaking, and other classes, to serving as chair of the Fine Arts department, overseeing both the BFA and MFA programs from 2001-2012. While serving as an active participant on significant committees during her tenure, such as the reaccreditation teams for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, she has led site visits to review art programs at other institutions of higher education. Outside of Pratt, Donna has been highly involved in organizations that are committed to advancing the field, including, for example, serving as chair of the Committee of Women in the Arts, College Art Association. She has also held residencies at the American Academy in Rome and Vermont Studio Center. Her work has been exhibited in the United States and abroad, including Australia, Brazil, Peru, and Spain. She also has pieces in the permanent collections of the New Jersey State Museum of Art, Noyes Museum of Art, New York Public Library, and Brooklyn Public Library.

At PrattMWP, Donna will work to support the institution’s educational mission in the areas of program development and advancing opportunities for faculty development and student learning. In particular, she will work to attract and retain students at the Utica campus, while collaborating with Pratt’s Vice President for Enrollment Judy Aaron and the entire admissions team.

“I am looking forward to working with Judy Aaron and the admissions team,” said Moran. “I am excited to be joining such a dynamic community of talented students and faculty,” she added.

Alumni Day to Feature Exhibition of Work by Pratt Graduates and Full Program of Events

On Saturday, September 17, Pratt will celebrate Alumni Day and Reunion 2016 with a full schedule of events and an Alumni Exhibition featuring the work of more than 50 graduates.

The curated exhibition in galleries across campus will include work spanning several decades in a range of artistic disciplines, including communications design, drawing, film and video, painting, photography, sculpture, and writing. The exhibition will feature work by Pratt alumni such as Jim Hodges (M.F.A. Fine Arts ’86), Greer Lankton (B.F.A. Fine Arts ’81), and many others.

Alumni Day will feature an extensive program of events, from a special Pratt Presents Creative Conversation featuring Pratt alumnus and acclaimed artist Kadir Nelson (B.F.A. Illustration ’96) to workshops, walking tours, career roundtable discussions, a sunset celebration with food and music, and more.

The Alumni Exhibition is open to the public and will be held on Pratt’s Brooklyn campus from 1 PM to 6 PM, with a reception from 7 PM to 9 PM on September 17. Alumni must register for all Alumni Day and Reunion events. For more information about Alumni Day and Reunion 2016, 

click here. For more information about the Pratt Presents Creative Conversation, click here.

More than 400 High School Students Attend Pratt’s 2016 Summer PreCollege Program

Pre College Pratt Institute summer programs welcome more than 400 high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors to the Brooklyn campus in July for four weeks of college-

level studies in art, design, architecture, and creative writing. This year's program Attracted students from 25 countries, and culminated in a campus-wide exhibition of the students' work on July 29 in gallery spaces across campus.

Reflecting Pratt's academic culture, the students were immersed in studio practice with a rigorous schedule of classes. They Also had opportunities to explore New York City through cultural and social events after class and on the weekends.

The process of applying for the program and then studying with expert faculty who are working artists and designers precollege Gives students a professional type of experience and the opportunity to encounter college student life at the Institute.

Find information about the Institute's precollege programs here.

Image: Work on display at the precollege Summer 2016 exhibition on the Brooklyn campus (photo: Samuel Stuart Hollenshead © 2016)