Road biking and watercolor art might seem like disparate hobbies, but Charlie Frances couples the two passions in a complementary way. Two years ago, Frances did a cross-state bike trip from his home of Virginia Beach to Galax for the grand reveal of his mural at a Walmart. Last week, Frances was on a biking journey from Virginia Beach to Manassas for an event hosted by the Virginia Watercolor Society, but made a pit-stop in Louisa County, spending part of May 4 and May 5 at the Dunnlora Inn in Mineral.

Frances got into watercolors when he was diagnosed with brain cancer about 12 years ago. A friend suggested that he try something cathartic as he was going through chemotherapy.

“I hated it because it was so hard to control the water and the paint. I almost quit the first week or two, but then I started to relax and let the mistakes happen,” Frances said. “Then, it became more en- joyable. I feel like life is that way — if you try to control everything then it’s impossible and you’re not going to enjoy it that much.”

During a craniotomy, Frances likened it to a sci-fi movie where a patient wakes up with some bizarre ability.

“I guess I woke up from the operation and had this artistic ability,” Frances said with a laugh. “[Creating watercolors is] a significant part of my life; I find that I need it. It’s relaxing. It’s a joy. Just like I need exercise, I need to paint.”

He recently met a neurologist, the first who took special attention to his shift toward art. She relayed that the location of his astrocytoma cancer is in the location of the brain that is a spark that allows for appreciation of visual art.

“When I heard that, I was like ‘wow, I didn’t know something so horrible would spark something so life-giving,’” Frances said.

Since starting, he has won awards in state, national and international competitions, and done several murals for Walmart stores.

One in particular, the Walmart supercenter in Chesapeake, was created in the aftermath of a tragedy.

In November 2022, an employee opened fire, killing six coworkers before fatally turning the gun on himself. Two people injured in the shooting remained hospitalized and in critical condition on Thanksgiving. The 31-yearold gunman had been working at the Walmart since 2010. He contributed to at least the third mass shooting in Virginia that month, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

Frances put together a concept, first sketching it out with crayons for the eventual 18 by 30-foot canvas. His mural illustrated local scenery and symbols, including the Jordan River Bridge and a blue heron flying out of a marsh. The marsh features black-eyed susans, which are some of the first to grow after a natural disaster.

The bird flying out of the marsh, Frances said, is like a phoenix, which represents rebirth.

He showed the piece to the manager of the Walmart, and when she loved it, he knew he was on the right path. The employees even added their own personal touch, contributing to painting the flower petals.

In April 2023, the store officially reopened and honored the victims and survivors of the attack. The title of the piece is “The Phoenix of Chesapeake.”

“One thing I didn’t expect was the reaction of the employees,” Frances said, as they pointed out which petals they painted. “They were crying and they came up and hugged me and said ‘thank you for helping us reclaim our store.’ I didn’t expect that my art would have that type of impact.”

The most successful pieces of art, as well as music, dance, poetry, and writing, Frances said, have the trifecta — they capture the soul of the subject that is being created, express the soul of the artist who is creating, but also unearth the soul of the viewer in an authentic, emotional reaction.

France’s lifestyle is not stationary; he averages 30-35 miles on his bike a day. For this particular trip to Manassas, it’s a total of 250 miles. The most miles he has ever done was 213 in California when he was in his 30s.

“I rode 30 miles yesterday and I was thinking, ‘how in the world did I do 213?” Frances said. “The last couple of miles are always tough.”

His backpack is filled with clothes, food, a journal, his phone, as well as a few art supplies, which means his art doesn’t necessarily always have to be grandiose. On May 4, after 30 miles of biking, he walked down to the laundromat in Mineral and simply painted the washers and dryers.

“It was fun,” Frances said. “It wasn’t my best. But I felt joy just sitting in the laundromat painting washers and dryers.”

His ultimate goal is to get into the American Watercolor Society Exhibition in New York, which he said is the “super bowl” of art shows. To learn more about Frances and his painting, go to https://www.cwatercolors. com/aboutcharlie