Hi there!  Guess what?  I have an idea!!
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​Come, dance with me and my magical muse and share our passion for the possible!!

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A Bit About Francesca... 
                             by Barbara Cornett

​ Francesca has been passionate about art since childhood, however it was in her thirties she realized a creative awakening that along with her many  endeavors fills her life with immense joy, wonderful challenges and exciting struggles.
 
Born in England, she has had the great fortune to be able to travel to far and exotic lands and credits her four years living in Japan - absorbing the Japanese culture and studying the arts - with having a profound influence on both her artwork and her personal life. Francesca’s artistic open-mindedness and curiosity consistently leads her to new discoveries whether it is with jewelry design, mixed media or experimental art. 

She fully embraces the arts community with her energy and enthusiasm by currently serving as President of  the Society of Mixed Media Artists while also maintaining membership in the Florida Watercolor Society, National Women Artists of America and the Experimental Artists of America.  In addition she completed three terms as President of the Jacksonville Watercolor Society and was chosen as the 2009 JWS Artist of the Year. She is a member of the National League of American Pen Women and membership chair for the Jacksonville Branch.

In 1996 Francesca founded a non-profit animal welfare organization, The Bear Foundation, Inc. as a memorial to her beloved cat, Bear and a tribute to the millions of unwanted animals who die tragically each year. Francesca considers this organization to be her greatest accomplishment and in her own words explains its mission: “We focus on humane education, animal rights laws such as pet abandonment, cruelty and neglect - and provide trapping and spay and neuter for feral and unwanted felines."  She believes it is our responsibility as human beings to help and protect those who cannot speak for themselves. 

A free spirit, she loves to 'wander' which inlcudes travel to far off lands such as Africa, the Far East, South America, Europe as well as throughout the U.S.    An expert markswoman, she enjoys going to the shooting range to blow off steam with a bit of target practice (she is strongly against hunting and killing animals for sport); loves foraging for  interesting and exotic finds at flea markets,  frequenting museums and galleries... and in actuality, experiencing just about anything life has to offer.

Her words of wisdom to live by are as follows: “I believe in kindness and compassion to all creatures and that the greatest gift we can give anyone is sharing our knowledge, compassion and grace.”      BC