Artist Statement
FRANCESCA SCIANDRA
I create visual dialogues between the seen and unseen through my paintings and experiential art installations. My work explores the space between abstraction and representation, inviting viewers to engage with their own interpretive stories and emotional responses.
Since 2018, my series of imagined landscapes and florals has evolved into an exploration of memory, perception, and the psychological dimensions of place. Working primarily with acrylic on canvas and watercolour on paper, I use the inherent immediacy of these mediums to capture ephemeral moments of clarity and intuition. The time-sensitive nature of these materials demands decisive mark-making, fostering a flow state that allows for authentic expression free of overthinking.
My artistic process embraces both structure and spontaneity. Daily drawing practice serves as both foundation and laboratory, while my canvas work develops through iterative layers that reveal unexpected forms and relationships. I deliberately employ unconventional colour harmonies to disrupt familiar visual patterns, challenging viewers to reconsider their relationship with natural and imagined environments.
My formal training in architecture at The Cooper Union and graphic design at Parsons informs my understanding of spatial relationships and compositional structure. My post-graduate studies in glass sculpture and art history in Barcelona expanded my material vocabulary. These diverse influences converge in work honouring traditional landscape and floral painting while questioning their conventions.
My creative practice is deeply intertwined with my commitment to arts education. As an educator, I draw upon my integrative therapy background to create psychologically informed learning environments that support the development of technical skills and personal expression.
My work is held in private collections throughout Europe and North America.
Through my artistic practice, I seek to create immersive visual experiences that invite contemplation of how we perceive, remember, and reimagine the natural world. Each piece offers a moment of pause—a space where imagination and reality converge, revealing new possibilities for connection and understanding.