An extremely active participant in the development of the Art Association of Richmond and original member of the local Sketch Club, he served on the Board of Directors of Art Association for several years. He was considered ranked next to the late John E. Bundy in talent and skill by the former Art Association Director, Mrs. Ella Bond Johnston. It was during his time in Indiana, that he received the most recognition for his work. In 1903, he won first prize for his painting, “Lingering Snow” at the Cincinnati Art Club Show. This would be one of numerous prizes and awards the he would receive during his time in Indiana, including the coveted Mary T. R. Foulke Prize.

In 1910, Girardin moved to Redondo Beach, California where he continued to paint the local landscape. Although living in Californian, he never forgot his friends in Richmond, continuing to participate in the annual exhibition by Indiana artists. Many California residents referred to him as “The Beech Tree Painter”. Indiana public schools and libraries, including the Richmond Community Schools, Morrison-Reeves Library, and the Fayette County Public Library, purchased or acquired works. His paintings are in the San Diego Art Museum and the Richmond Art Museum.

Born: 1856
Died: 1945

Preferred Media: Painter

Additional Information & Images:

• AskArt

• Springtime, California Coast

• Among the Hills at Metamora, Indiana

• Stream Landscape

• Winter Landscape

• Wild Violets

• Short Biography

Sources:

• Palladium-Item, August 9, 1945. Obituary.

• The Long Beach Press, February 17, 1930. Frank J. Girardin is Visiting Here.

• ___The Richmond School; Presented by Jay County Arts Council and the Art Association of Richmond, September, 1985.

• Newton, Judith Vale and Carol Weiss, A Grand Tradition: The Art and Artists of the Hoosier Salon, 1925-1990. Indianapolis, Indiana: Hoosier Salon Patrons Association, Inc., 1993.

• Peat, Wilbur. Pioneer Painters of Indiana. Crawfordsville, Indiana: The Lakeside Press, 1954.