Rosie Kuhn Bouse
Francesca D’Atria Romano is not one to believe that domani never comes. In fact, she is planning to make a new start soon in North Carolina, close to her son’s family. There will be many more scenes for her to paint in this new locale. We hope her tomorrows will be filled with new artistic adventures and relaxing hours capturing a different kind of beauty on canvas.
Francesca was born into an artistic family whose patriarch Salvatore Pollini immigrated from Catania, Sicily after serving in World War I. Her grandfather’s talent was soon recognized in the United States for he was commissioned to paint Our Lady Queen of Peace Church with resplendent floral walls. His paintings of vines reminiscent of the grapevines of his native “Italia” embellished the interior of the St. George Theater on Staten Island.
Francesca, who was named for her grandmother, lived in her grandparent’s beautiful Victorian style home on Staten Island. She was privileged to watch Papa Salvatore paint, sometimes peeking through the key hole of his attic art studio. Young Francesca was once surprised to discover Papa painting a reclining woman ‘nel nudo’ and received an impressionable scolding in Italian. As a child, she salvaged scraps of paper to do her art work with only an eight pack of crayons, thus she learned to blend colors effectively. Her first painting of the Sacred Heart of Jesus done when she was thirteen, was on the back of her late grandfather’s painting unbeknown to her parents.
Fran is a retired New York City (NYC) educator. The Staten Island Museum owns several of her etchings. Her NYC scenes and Ferries won her over 160 awards and gained her the title of NYC’s “Woman in History” in 1989. She became a “Woman of Achievement “ through the National Organization of Italian Women in 1992.
She is a board member of the Metropolitan Museum of Art where she volunteered as a docent.
While enjoying retirement at Robson Ranch, she delighted in painting rocks, rust, and landscapes of the rugged terrain of the Southwest. Many of her paintings are embellished with colorful semi precious natural gemstones. Francesca started the Paint and Palette Club, writing its Bylaws. She is responsible for initiating the Paint and Palette Exhibitions which take place in the Clubhouse three times a year. We will miss Francesca and her talent here at Robson Ranch but wish her many blessings. Here is hoping her domani will be as bright and beautiful as the many wonderful paintings and works that she is leaving behind.
You can visit her website at: www.Francescapaintings.com