The Sketchbook Project

FRANCESCA OWENS is a watercolor fine artist, writer and art history researcher. Born in the Bronx, USA in 1962, she grew up in Westchester, New York. She lives with her youngest daughter Antonia, a.k.a. Zia (Aunt) Nia. They live in Spoleto, Italy, home to the Festival of Two Worlds. They regained their Italian roots and now hold both Italian and U.S. citizenship.

Her art career began in Denver, CO, studying under master watercolorists Victor Martinez, Stephen Quiller and Frank Francese.

Francesca was a global wild tiger advocate/artist and award-winning environmental grant writer. In 2005, the World Wildlife Fund and Exxon’s SaveTheTigerfund.org sponsored Francesca’s "Beauty of the Beast – Tigers Facing Extinction" collection.

2006 brought a pivotal change to Owens’ lifestyle and art, which redirected her work to focusing on surviving heart surgery complications, Common Variable Immune Deficiency (CVID) and ME/CFS.

In 2012, Owens uncovered a true-life CIA-Cold War espionage story which took place in Spoleto from 1958-1962. More than 35 archives in 4 different countries provided the details for “Spoleto Files: Modern Art, Music & Cold War ArtCHivio Installation” ©2016.

At 11-years-old, Francesca interviewed her grandmother for a history school project. With this information, oral testimony from her Italian-born family, Rozemarie Wouters Sweet, research from the www.LibertyEllisFoundation.org, the East Indies Camp 1942-1945 www.indischekamparchieven.nl/en and History of 328th regiment of Infantry : 82nd Division, American Expeditionary Forces, United States Army, https://archive.org/details/historyofthreehu00slsn/page/182.

Owens’ work has been exhibited at shows throughout the Midwest USA and Italy.
After a 30 year career as an investment consultant and in public office, Francesca realized her childhood dream of becoming an artist. Dreams can come true, never forget!