Francene Markle has been trying to beautify Hollister, piece by
piece, house by house for almost 10 years.
Her shop, Francene Markle Interiors, has been located at 615 San
Benito St. for seven years. She renovated the Gavilan College
Student Center and Administration Building, worked on several of
the big ranches in the county and has remodeled large homes down to
the smallest cottages in San Benito County.
Francene Markle has been trying to beautify Hollister, piece by piece, house by house for almost 10 years.
Her shop, Francene Markle Interiors, has been located at 615 San Benito St. for seven years. She renovated the Gavilan College Student Center and Administration Building, worked on several of the big ranches in the county and has remodeled large homes down to the smallest cottages in San Benito County.
“San Benito County residents love beautiful things,” she said. “They enjoy re-upholstering grandma’s old sofa and making it part of the family.”
Her current project is refashioning parts of Hazel Hawkins Hospital and the Northside assisted living facility. She is redesigning the interior of the major hallways by creating a more aesthetically pleasant atmosphere for the patients and staff.
She plans on painting the walls a lavender and soft teal color to accentuate the colors of the hospital’s carpet, install wall guards and purchase a permanent art collection by local artist Carole Belliveau, who paints exquisite pastels and oil paintings of San Benito County landscapes, Markle said.
“(The pieces) are the kinds of things people here relate to, especially when they’re in the hospital,” she said, “and I chose Carole because she’s one of the best there is for the subject.”
The remodel of the hospital and assisted living center will hopefully make the patients comfortable, she said.
Markle graduated from college with a degree in interior design from San Jose State University in 1955 and has been a professional designer since 1969.
“It’s a lot of fun, but a lot of people don’t understand that it’s a lot of work,” she said. “(Hollister) has been wonderful, though. The people are wonderful and the opportunity has been great.”
While her profession is designing, Markle’s obsession is painting. She’s been painting for almost 50 years and has started selling her own works in her shop. She recently had the first public showing of her work April 1 at the San Benito County Artists Open Studio.
“It was my debut in the art world here,” she said, “and it went very well. I sold a couple of paintings.”
She has become interested in a French technique called “plein aire,” which means painting on location from the beginning to the end of the piece. She plans to travel to Sun Valley, Idaho, with two other women to paint pieces of the landscape, she said.
