Francesco Fontana is an award winning international artist. After graduation he left his native Sicily to pursue his artist dream in bohemian Paris as a portrait artist. Since then he has exhibited in many Countries, in both oil and watercolor. Fontana’s art is now in private collections in Europe, USA and Asia as well as at Museo della Carta in Fabriano, Italy.

Latest awards include Bronze Medal of Honor at American Watercolor Society International Exhibition, New York 2021 and Best Figure and Portrait at Plein Air Salon, March 2021. Most recently he received the Art Group Critique Award by the San Diego Watercolor Society.

In 2008 Francesco founded Fare Pittura Atelier, in Milan Italy. He travels intensively as a workshop instructor, invited through Europe, USA and Asia. Iconic places he has led workshops for years at include the Claude Monet's gardens and lily pond in Giverny. 

Fontana has been stage and field faculty at the Plein Air Convention & Expo in CA and AZ as well as judge and lecturer for the Watercolor Society of Oregon. He’s often headliners in the top plein air competitions in the States, where he also published the DVD 'Watercolor the Italian Way' released by leading publisher Liliedhal. More 

In 2022 he was demo artist at Watercolor Live, and is currently faculty of Contemporary Watercolor at Milano Painting Academy, Italy

In addition to countless online interviews, live conferences and podcast, articles about Francesco Fontana appear in top press such as Plein Air Magazine, Fine Art Connoisseur, The Art of Watercolor and The Artist UK. 

Francesco graduated at the Art School of Palermo. Later he met the best international artists who broadened his technique and vision remarkably. Francesco started his career in Paris, lived in London and is fluent in English, French and Italian. He's the loving (and resilient) father of two teenage girls: Teresa and Flora, his muses!