Francesca Sundsten facts for kids

Francesca Sundsten (1960 – March 9, 2019) was a talented American painter. She used classic painting methods to create her art. Her paintings and drawings often looked like works by "Old Masters." But they also had a "surrealist" feel, meaning they showed dream-like or unusual scenes.

Life and Art Journey

Francesca Sundsten was born in Hemet, California, in 1960. When she was three, her family moved to the Seattle area. She started painting seriously in her early twenties.

Art School and Unique Style

In 1984, Francesca enrolled at the San Francisco Art Institute. She was very interested in representational painting. This style focuses on painting things exactly as they look in real life. However, this approach was not popular at her art school at the time.

After seeing an exhibit by artist Odd Nerdrum, she traveled to Oslo, Norway. She studied with him informally, learning more about representational art. When she returned to the Art Institute, she continued to follow her own artistic path. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1987. Later, in 1990, she received a Master of Fine Arts degree from Stanford University.

Exhibitions and Collections

Francesca Sundsten's artwork was shown in many solo exhibitions. These shows took place at galleries like Grover/Thurston Galleries and Davidson Galleries. Her paintings are also part of important art collections. You can find her work at the Tacoma Art Museum and the University of Washington Medical Center. Even Microsoft owns some of her pieces.

Art critics often praised her work. One review in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer said her paintings were "fine" and showed a "mastery of realism." This means she was very skilled at making things look real. The review also noted her "quirky, starkly confrontational imagery." This means her art was unique and sometimes made people think deeply.

In 2013, she had an exhibit called Creatures. Art critic Michael Upchurch wrote that her "dazzling painterly facility" made her fantasy subjects seem "preposterously plausible." This means she was so good at painting that even her imaginary creatures looked like they could be real.

Teaching and Personal Life

Francesca Sundsten also shared her knowledge with others. She taught art at several universities, including Stanford University. She also taught at the Pratt Institute and Cornish College of the Arts.

Outside of art, Francesca played bass guitar in a Seattle band called The Beakers. She was married to Bill Rieflin, who was a drummer for the famous band King Crimson.

Francesca Sundsten passed away on March 9, 2019. She died from complications related to lymphoma, a type of cancer.