Celebrate Art!
SIERRA ART TRAILS 2014
Yosemite Foothills Open Studio Tour
Friday, Saturday and Sunday, October 3rd, 4th, & 5th, 2014
This years 2014 Sierra Art Trails open studio tour has many talented artists. The Sierra Sun Times will be featuring a sampling of area artists leading up to the show. Check back regularly to see who the next featured artist will be.
Franka M. Gabler
Photographer
My main inspiration is nature; always evident in my work is the magnificence of California landscape, the everlasting change of the seasons, the simple and complex interaction of the water, rocks, sky, plants and wildlife of the high country mountains. Living not too far from Yosemite National Park enables me to visit often and capture the magnificent landscapes, both Yosemite icons and high Sierras in most dramatic conditions and best light: clearing storms, sunrises, sunsets, moonrises, alpenglow, reflections...
While enjoying expansive views, more often I am drawn to details of nature that are hidden, transient, or understated. My photographs are not based solely on a picturesque landscape, but also on an interesting form or color combination, as well as movement, resulting sometimes in expressionist abstractions and sometimes in dreamy impressionist images.
During my trips to Eastern Sierra Nevada, I often visit Bodie Historic State Park. Remainders of life and things left behind in this abandoned town left deep impression on me. I assembled a collection of images of Bodie in a book to share them with others.
Artist Bio: Born and raised in Croatia, Franka M. Gabler developed a fascination, admiration, and respect for nature early in her life. For most of her life, her family owned a 30-foot sailing boat; they spent their summer vacations cruising the islands off the Adriatic coast. Her life was all about the sea: swimming for hours in pristine waters of Croatia, sailing, conquering the wind, finding shelter from the storms in secluded bays.
After moving to the California in 1997, she thought that she would never have an opportunity to experience the beauty and connect to the nature as she did back in her home country. During her first wilderness backpacking trip in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and witnessing sunrise over immaculate high Sierra lake, she had a "déjà vu" moment: experiencing the unspoiled nature once again. She fell in love with the amazing landscapes of high country mountains which encouraged her to pick up the camera as a medium to express her feelings and share them with others. Now spending as much time as possible hiking and exploring wilderness areas, Franka always carries her camera and tripod, capturing countless images with her own unique perspective. 
Franka’s photographs are published in several books: Photographer’s Forum's “The Best of Photography 2010”, Gary Crabbe's "Photographing California" Vol 1 - North, and Arts Alliance "Sierra Wonders." Last year her image was featured on the cover of Sierra Art Trails catalog. Her photographs are also published in Yosemite Conservancy Magazine, Yosemite Sierra Visitors Guide, and twice in the Bodie Foundation calendar. Her work was featured in over 80 exhibits in Fresno, Oakhurst, Yosemite, Reedley, Visalia, San Francisco, and Golden, CO, and is represented in private collections throughout the United States and abroad.
She is affiliated with Stellar Gallery in Oakhurst and Spectrum Art Gallery in Fresno.
Franka will be exhibiting in her home studio in Coarsegold. You can see more of her work at: www.frankagabler.com.
Franka can be reached at her home studio in Coarsegold: Call (559) 760-2852 or email franka@frankagabler.com.
