Carol Francis

My work has always been deeply rooted in landscape; investigating the shapes, tones, colours and patterns seen in views of hedges, trees and hills is endlessly engaging. What appears to be the ordinary that surrounds us provides such rich content for exploration and interpretation and I remain completely addicted.

Painting in oils has remained lifelong romance driven by a love of the subtlety of colour which this medium provides. I make drawings en plein air throughout the year and use these as starting points for paintings in the studio. Recently, I have enjoyed using soft pastels and the delicacy and subtlety they provide has led to a new direction.

I am a painter and ceramicist who has lived and worked in Wales for 36 years. 1studied fine art at Walthamstow School of Art and the Royal Academy Schools under William Scott, Ken Howard, Peter Blake and Fred Cuming, all of whom emphasised the importance of drawing, a practice that I have always encouraged my students to view as a foundation for artwork. I’ve taught at secondary school and adult education levels and currently, I am a fine art tutor to the Rhosygilwen Art Group.