Jon Francis is inspired by the city of Colorado Springs and has spent a significant amount of time cataloging the city with oil paint on canvas.Francis was raised in Colorado Springs and now admits that about 50 percent of his a rtistic efforts are dedicated to capturing and painting the urban landscapes around the city and the people and objects that inhabit those spaces. In a world of disposable everything, I am currently focused on painting urban landscapes as a way to record, preserve, and savor what has shaped my childhood and shaped Colorado. The old, the rusted, the abandoned have a beauty all their own. Not only are these moments an important part of our region, but an important part of my memories as a Colorado native. My canvas is a place where these images are saved from being forgotten as forward movement scrapes them from our lives.For Francis, saving these images to his canvas is a way to preserve history and ensure that those moments and memories can be shared with others.Francis has an art exhibit, labeled 719 Alleys and Oddities, opening at Auric Gallery on August 7 and running through August 27; in this show, he's featuring alleys alongside odd, overlooked, or unexpected pieces of scenery from around Colorado Springs.__________Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching. ...read more read less