The E-Sylum:  Volume 8, Number 41, September 25, 2005, Article 13

INTERVIEW WITH COIN DESIGNER JAMIE FRANKI

Relish, a Northwest North Carolina publication, today featured
an article interviewing artist Jamie Franki:

"Franki's illustration of the American bison appears on the the
new nickels released earlier this year by the United States Mint.
His original bison drawing is among more than 50 of his proposed
coin-design images and related works in a pair of exhibitions,
"Coinage Design for the U.S. Mint" and "Liberty," on view through
Nov. 5 in adjoining galleries at the Waterworks Visual Arts
Center in Salisbury.

Franki lives in Concord. Since 1996 he has taught illustration at
UNC Charlotte, where he is an associate professor and coordinator
of the illustration program. His drawing of a bison was one of nine
that he submitted to the mint to be considered for its "Westward
Journey" nickel series, commemorating the Louisiana Purchase
and the cross-country expedition of Lewis and Clark."

"Franki listed John James Audubon, Norman Rockwell, Maxfield
Parrish, N.C. Wyeth and Howard Pyle as important influences
on his work. He said that before he began designing coins his
work as an illustrator consisted primarily of rectangular illustrations
for magazines such as In Business, Stock Car Racing and BioCycle.

Franki said he never considered designing coins until November
2003, when his older brother Bill alerted him to a notice on the
mint's Web site asking for applications to the mint's Artistic Infusion
Program, established to interest artists in doing designs for coins.
Franki said he was among several hundred artists who applied
to the program."

"The new nickel features Franki's bison and, on the obverse side,
another artist's portrait of Thomas Jefferson. It's the first redesign
of the nickel since 1938. Franki said his bison design was inspired
in part by the one on the original buffalo nickel, minted from 1913
to 1938. Sculptor James Earle Fraser's design pays tribute to
the strength of the bison and American Indians and, for that reason,
Franki said, it's probably the U.S. coin most revered by collectors.
He said he was careful to take a different approach with his design.

"Fraser's buffalo faces left, and mine faces right," he said. "His
is a more classical, stylized interpretation of the subject, like a
gorgeous piece of bas-relief that could be found on the side of
a Greek temple. My design is more of an illustration." He also
said that the image on Fraser's nickel is rendered in significantly
higher relief than his own bison."

"While one of Franki's two shows at the Waterworks highlights
his coin designs, the other consists of formally related works that
explore a theme of his own choosing. In characterizing the latter
show, he said: "The 'Liberty' exhibition, directly inspired by my
federal subcontracting work, is brand new and delivers messages
about our legacy of freedom as Americans."

To read the complete article, see: Full Story

  Wayne Homren, Editor

	coinbooks.org Web

The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization 
promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org.

To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor 
at this address: whomren@coinlibrary.com

To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum