Francesca is a British-Italian figurative artist. She works mainly in oils. She also uses egg tempera on gesso boards, soft pastels, and charcoal.

She was born in 1959 into a close community of Italian immigrants in London. Her father came from a long tradition of craftspeople. They originated from the beautiful Trentino region in the northern alps. Due to her mother’s illness, she had an unsettled upbringing living between the two countries. Without a parental presence, this situation created a deep-seated interest in themes of identity, nature, and environment. She experienced these themes from a feeling of not belonging to a place.

In Italy, she attended the ‘Istituto d’Arte.’ She studied Fine Art and Photography in Trento and Urbino. There, she obtained a ‘Fine Arts Diploma’ (‘Diploma di Arti Decorative’). During this time, she immersed herself in the arts and literature of Italy. She travelled extensively to see the wonderful works of the Italian Masters. The influence of Italian art and culture is evident in her work. This is especially true in the egg tempera. She makes her own gesso boards and egg-based paints. She also uses gilding.

Back in London she worked for a number of years with a couple of photographic studios: ‘Red Dragon’ and ‘Chrome’. Her interest in photography has influenced how she approaches composition and colour relationships and sometimes she uses photos to develop paintings.

She continued exploring her painting and drawing by taking professional courses. She studied Illustration and Life Drawing at ‘St Martin’s School of Art’. Additionally, she took Airbrushing at the ‘London College of Printing’. She also pursued Portraiture at ‘Heatherlys School of Fine Art’. Along with these, she attended regular Life drawing sessions.

Francesca regularly participates in exhibitions in London, the UK and Italy. A notable experience was taking part in an exhibition complimentary to the conference ‘Art and Articulation’ at St Hilda’s College, Oxford. The exhibition was exploring mysticism in art. She was on a panel with fellow artists to promote a discussion with the audience about their work. She has had drawings published in two Italian books of poems. She has recently been involved in the making of a short film. During Covid, she participated in the initiative ‘Portraits for Heroes.’ She has been exhibiting in her studio with the local Merton Arts Trail on a regular basis.

Along with juggling work, then raising a family she has kept up a regular art practice. Over the past couple of decades, this has become full time at her Wimbledon studio. She also works on commissions.