About the artist

action-art fine art reproduction prints are unique because each painting is lovingly crafted by artist and serving Police Officer Fran Richley. Fran has over twenty years policing experience and his position within a policing environment means he is perfectly placed to undertake detailed research of the emergency service subject matter. In this regard, Fran paints with the full permission of both the Gwent and South Wales Police Forces as well as the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service and the Wales Air Ambulance Chariable Trust.

However, Fran's main focus for his work remains all things motor sport. Over many years he has produced numerous original peices of motor sport art work. Although his early work was watercolour, over the last 10 years Fran has worked exclusively in the acrylic medium. When asked about this he said,

"I find painting with acrylics a little more challenging and unforgiving than watercolour in the way the paint behaves, but it's worth the effort because the acylic medium suits my painting style."

All of Fran's work is raising money for charity including the 'Colin McRae Vision Foundation', 'Wings for Life' and most recently the 'Richard Burns Foundation'.

In 2008 Fran was commissioned by former World Rally Champion (WRC) winner Nicky Grist to produce two original acrylic paintings of himself and Colin McRae to commemorate the life of a rallying legend, tragically killed in a helicopter crash in 2007.

November 2008 saw the completion of the first of two limited edition commissions for the Red Bull Formula One Team namely; a painting of David Coulthard in action, 'Flying Scotsman'. This seems particularly fitting given David's retirement from F1 driving at the end of the 2008 season.

In Spring 2009 Fran received a commission from David Richards and Ari Vatenen to produce a painting of the pair in action in the legendary MkII Rothmans Escort. Entiled 'Glory Days' , this work was completed in October.

A second commission by the Red Bull Formula One Team of it's current driver, Mark Webber is also nearing completion and will be available by the end of November 2009.

In November 2009 Fran received a commission from the Richard Burns Foundation to produce a tribute painting of the former British World Rally champion in action.

Fran was also commissioned by Wales Air Ambulance to produce an original painting for its 2008 Christmas card which raised significant funds for the Wales Air Ambulance Charitable Trust and was asked to produce the 2009 Christmas card.

Today, the vast majority of Fran's work is produced from photgraphs taken by world class rally photographers McKlein Photography and in each case the photograph is reproduced with their full permission.

"My intention is to produce a quality product from the first pencil stroke to final dispatch to the customer in order to make the experience of purchasing, or being gifted with, one of my paintings a real pleasure and investment. For me, this isn't just about the quality of my actual painting but also about the way that I produce my limited edition reproductions. I have looked carefully at other prints on the market, many of which are produced extremely cheaply with inferior priniting and painting techniques. My desire is to build and maintain a reputation for the highest quality and I hope that my recent commissions and the fact that my work is featured in some of the leading motor sport magazines eveidences how my work is already being viewed."

So, just how good is Fran's work? Please come on in, take a look and form your own opinion. Your comments are welcomed.