Artist and professor, Dr. Fran Ward has a background in education and the arts. She has taught from the second grade all the way through college level. She earned higher degrees at Dartmouth and William & Mary. In 1994 she earned a PhD in metaphysics and is currently a professor in metaphysics with the American Institute of Holistic Theology.

Fran Ward is a world traveler, even though she never left her home state of Massachusetts until she was 21. Her work opened the door to travel and working with students throughout the world, receiving a citation along the way from the American Institute of Foreign Study.

A competent artist, Fran also lectures and exhibits her art worldwide. Her passion is world peace, and in 2000 she received a World Peace candle in Gloucester, Virginia, from a Moon Circle group, which began her intense focus in this arena. One year earlier, for the first time in history, seven flames of peace were flown across the oceans from five continents and united into one eternal flame: the World Peace Flame in North Wales. The only other live flame allowed on board an airplane has been the Olympic torch. Lit by peacemakers, carried by military air forces and commercial airlines, the peace flames each represented the highest intentions for peace within their continents. The resulting World Peace Flame thus represents the combined aspirations for peace of humanity as a whole. It aims to inspire people everywhere that the individual plays a crucial role in creating peace, at every level.

Since that time the flame has been presented to many world decision-makers, installed in monuments across the globe, and many people have had remarkable, transformative experiences in the presence of candles lit from the World Peace Flame.

I met Fran Ward at a benefit dinner for the Peninsula Fine Arts Center in Newport News, and she told me she plans on winning a Nobel Peace Prize, so she expects to be on stage and in the spotlight in Norway. Thus, she decided to transform her image so she is ready for the event. Additionally, she is also resolute that she needs to look professional and represent her own country in the best light when she travels. “Americans are often negatively stereotyped abroad in terms of their image, so I want to counter the negative Ugly-American label,” she explained.

Fran already “knew” her colors and expected to learn the basics of style and accessorizing at the image makeover workshop. Because of her blue eyes and golden blonde hair, several years ago, an image consultant told Fran she had warm skin and should wear warm colors like peach, coral, lemon yellow, lime green, and camel. She was advised to never wear black. In fact, Fran looks fabulous in black, and she also dared to wear the once-forbidden color of fuchsia.

Early books on color insisted that a person’s eye and hair color were the key to color analysis. In reality, having hair that is “warm” (like Fran’s) doesn’t mean that your skin is also warm. Hair doesn’t get dark circles, furrows, or splotches in the “wrong” colors. Skin does. Fran saw for herself that while lemon yellow and peach harmonized with her hair, these colors weren’t flattering to her skin. Once she tweaked the makeup and clothing colors she wore, Fran’s skin glowed with the radiance of youth. She looked ten years younger!

The next step was to discover the styles that suited her. She is only 5’ 3” so wearing one color from head to toe makes Fran look taller. In addition, wearing earrings, a brooch, or a necklace causes the eye to sweep upward toward the face, so you’re perceived as taller than when the eye is forced down because of brightly-colored shoes, for example. Even the black button on Fran’s pants can drive the eye down from time to time, so it’s better to have buttons in an invisible color if you are short. Should she choose to wear a belt with an outfit, it should not be in a contrasting color, for the same reason. In order to appear yet taller, heels should be in the same color as the pantsuit or skirt.

Lastly, Fran’s hair needed a bit of re-shaping in order to have perfect balance. No cutting was required, only a bit of maneuvering with a comb, in order to show off her perfect-oval face.  In the before picture, her face looks longer than it actually is.

Fran loves to create masterpieces on canvas, and now she’s making a masterpiece of herself. She has a website, www.peacegrid.com, where you can participate in her goal for world peace.  

Sandy Dumont is speaker and expert in the field of  professional image. She has produced numerous books, videos, and DVD sets on the subject of image. Get a free book at her website, www.theimagearchitect.com.