About
Francesca Sciandra, Artist
Francesca Sciandra is a painter and experiential artist specialising in painting, drawing, and immersive experiential art. Her work explores imagination, emotion, and self-knowledge, representing what we see and feel through nature, dreams, and emotional landscapes. She also teaches online art courses for artists of all levels.
My Journey
I’ve been fascinated with art and creativity since I took my first drawing class as a teenager. This foundational studio art experience ignited a passion that has intensified over time. I received a Bachelor of Architecture from The Cooper Union in New York City, where I studied drawing with Sue Ferguson Gussow and poetry with David Shapiro. I also hold a degree in Graphic Design from Parsons School of Design in New York City.
My artistic path has taken me from the sleepy towns of Southern New Hampshire and Western New York to the vibrance of New York City’s East Village and the calm of Park Slope, Brooklyn. Eventually, I left to study post-graduate art history and glass sculpture in Barcelona. This would begin a transformative chapter in my life. During this period, I spent extended time in Italy and Portugal and the UK before returning to Portugal.
My Philosophy
My power manifests through activating my self-expression and through helping others activate theirs. I find my strength in my creative practice. Making art and connecting with my inner radiance are my life-long goals.
As the painter Agnes Martin once described it, self-expression isn’t optional - it’s inevitable, showing up in the work itself, in how the work is made, and in what it produces.
I cherish that magic feeling when everything drops away, yet everything is present. The sense of freedom that comes from connecting fully to a moment cannot be forced, but it can be nurtured.
Teaching and Mentoring
I am an experienced educator and facilitator in the arts, working with students of all ages since I was a teenager myself. My first creative facilitation experience was in the summer of 1994, volunteering as a creative workshop facilitator at Artpark in Lewiston, New York, where I worked with children on drawing and painting.
While studying architecture at The Cooper Union, I taught drawing to high schoolers in their Saturday Program, covering life drawing, still life, and architectural drawing skills and techniques.
From 2019 to 2024, I facilitated creative circles for The Artist’s Way, supporting the creative recovery and growth of artists and creative spirits across continents.
Today, I create and teach online art courses for new and experienced artists.
Integrative Therapy and Psychotherapy
Beyond my work as an artist and arts educator, I am an integrative therapist. I offer psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, and couples therapy, working with individuals and couples online. My practice draws on attachment theory, psychodynamic and relational approaches, and Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT), and includes specialist training in psychedelic integration and harm reduction.
Connect
To stay in touch, connect with me on Instagram: @francescasciandra and @francescasciandra.art and sign up for my newsletter to receive updates and course announcements.