‘Francesca Owen’s paintings are so alive and ethereal with

such drama, mystery and energy… And of course the most

skilful and expert use of colour, structure and emotional storytelling and masterful brushwork across the whole works. Spellbinding indeed. She is blessed to be a complete genius at her work’  

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Words kindly given by Private Art Collector. 

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Francesca Owen is a British contemporary fine art painter in Cornwall in the U.K.

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Some of my most favourite days are ‘nothing days’ These are the days when a storm is raging and no one is outside. These are the days when the mind is most clear for painting.

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I’d begin a new painting and enjoy the feeling of the colours gliding on the surface of the canvas- a world of possibilities and it could go any which way it chose to. It was the theme of gardens, figures, flowers and they would make their appearance. After a while I would turn to the Impressionists books or older paintings I had made for reference for example to look for more colour or stories unresolved.

 

Looking back was looking forwards and space on ‘nothing days’ was when this came. I’d think of what my tutors said at Slade when I had just started art school. A younger me still fixated on themes of nature and travel, figures and gardens. Colour then seemed somewhat aggressive as I had less experience so now I look for a softer but still strong approach. 

 

I have always enjoyed the heaviness in the body of paint itself. Making it almost sculptural in application and layers I had been told must have been an influence from a tutor called Phyllida Barlow- her warmth and energy to try to drive me was unforgettable and I felt her loss even now. Until his death,  the head of painting was Andrew Stahl and we often talked about new works and shows I was doing. I had two scholarships and had won awards and this helped me to buy canvas and materials and to travel.

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Dreams of gardens, flowers, figures all come into existence in my world of painting. Gardens are a kind of utopia a place of memory, love and healing, flowers are symbols of different parts of ourselves that we want to hold onto or forget, the figure is there because it’s you and you’re seeing the work and being in it and because that’s how we see the world. All these things just appear in their own way as I am painting.

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The bottom line for my work is to convey love, beauty, nature and all of this must be included and balanced but out of balance in order for me to make a painting and to feel that it is conclusive and that it is finished or that it has arrived from somewhere else and into this world.

Francesca Owen is an award-winning painter. a former student and recipient of two scholarships  at the Slade School of Fine Art, including the Euan Uglow memorial scholarship.​​ Francesca Owen's paintings are now held with collectors and galleries across the U.K, Europe and America. Contact her or see her gallery listings for more details.