Main Events and Credits
2024
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NWS Signature Membership at National Watercolor Society
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Exhibiting at San Diego Watercolor Society International Exhibition, Sept 2024
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Exhibiting at NWS National Watercolor Society international Exhibition, Los Angeles, Oct 2024
2023
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Exhibiting at NWS National Watercolor Society international Exhibition, Los Angeles, Oct 2023
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Exhibiting and performing artist at International festival Watercolor on the Way of Grand Tour, Frascati, Rome 1-11 June 2023
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Finalist 23mo Premio Libreria Bocca, Milano June 2023
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Page in Catalogues ModPortrait and Guia Leonardo by Artelibre, Barcelona, Spain 2023.
2022
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AWS Signature Membership - American Watercolor Society
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Appointed Faculty at Milano Painting Academy, Classical Atelier, 1 March — present
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Live interview and Demo as Brand Ambassador of Daniel Smith Watercolors, 4 April 2022
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Dallas, TX, USA Watercolor Workshop for Southwest Watercolor Society, April 2022
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Exhibiting at American Watercolor Society 155th International Exhibition, New York, Salmagundi Club, April 11- 30, 2022
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Exhibiting Master Artist at Monza International Watercolor Festival. Italy 28 - 30 May 2022
2021
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New York City , Salmagundi Club at American Watercolor Society's 154th International Juried Exhibition, 13 - 30 April 2021
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Awarded Bronze Medal of Honor at 154th AWS Exhibition 2021
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Awarded Best Figure and Portrait Plein Air Salon, March 21
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Finalist to Plein Air Salon Annual Grand Prize, April 2021
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Juried in and exhibiting at National Watercolor Society Members Exhibition May 1 - June 2021 Review
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Exhibiting and demo artist at Monza Acquerello International Festival, Italy May 28-30, 2021
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Awarded APT Group Critique at San Diego Watercolor Society 41st International Exhibition, June 2021
2020
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Article on American Watercolor Weekly (Mountain M) April 2020
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Featured as top Watercolor Artists in Plein Air Magazine, June 2020
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Speaker at Go with the Flow Global Watercolor Conversation June 2020
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Guest at Plein Air Live Publisher talk show. July 2020
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Artist of the Day, DVD Recorded Live 13 Sept 2020
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Live Demo & Interview with Eric Rhoads Publisher FB 23 Sept 2020
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Monza in Acquerello International Festival, Italy Exhibition and Demo, 11-13 (27) Sept 2020
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Featured in American Watercolor Weekly Nov 2020
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Podcast Interview with Eric Rhoads on Outdoorpainter.com
2019
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Feautured on The Artist Magazine, #1Uk Magazine, London, Jan 2019
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Feautured on Plein Air Magazine, USA, March 2019
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Fabriano in Acquerello International Festival, Invited in Italy's 20 Representative Masters, April 2019
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Exhibiting at Galleria Labor Limae, Torino, Italy, May 2019
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Palermo, Sicily w/c Workshop 22 – 27 May, 2019
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Valencia, Spain, w/c Workshop, July 2 — 9, 2019
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Giverny, France w/c Workshop 22 — 27 July, 2019
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Philadelphia, PA, USA Juried in PWS InternationalShow 31 Aug - 26 Oct, 2019
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San Pedro, CA USA Exhibition at NWS 99th International Juried Show 3 Oct - 17 Nov, 2019
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Don Demer's presentation on excelence at San Angelo Museum of Fine Art, Oct 2019 (Video)
2018
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Article on American Watercolor Weekly, Feb 2018
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Galleries on The Cyber Art Show, March 2018
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Demo Article for Daniel Smith Fine Art Supplies, June 2018
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Workshop in Sidmouth, East Devon, UK, June 2018
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Winner 1st Place, Monreale Sicily Plein Air Festival, Sept 2018
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Workshop in Valencia, Spain, 8 - 12 Oct 2018
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Exhibiting Solo Show at La Comune, Milano, Oct / Nov 2018
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Exhibiting Finalist at the International Watercolor Prize, Cagliari, Galleria Esdé, Nov 2018
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Feature on The Art of Watercolour, world #1 watercolor magazine, Paris, Dec 2018
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Paintings as Interior Design on the Prime Time RAI 1 Series 'La Compagnia del Cigno'
2017
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Exhibiting at City of Bengigamin, Valencia, Spain, International Show, Jan 2017
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Exhibiting at Jack Meier Gallery, Houston, TX, USA, Feb 2017
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Exhibiting at Bankside Gallery, London, UK for Royal Watercolor Society, March 2017
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Winner, The Joe Carmichael Award at National Watercolor Society, June 10, 2017 San Pedro, CA
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Winner Best Overall Watercolor, Plein Air Salon July 2017 (The Shop Window)
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Featured in Fine Ar Connoisseur Magazine, Nocturne - Aug Sept 2017
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Workshop in Valencia, Spain, Watercolor in One Stroke, 10 - 16 Sept 2017
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Workshop in East Devon, UK, Watercolor in One Stroke 4, 5, 6 Oct 2017
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Exhibiting at Mall Galleries, London, UK with Royal Society of Marine Artists, 4 - 15 Oct 2017
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Featured Artist at En Plein Air Festival, San Angelo, TX, USA, 22 - 29 Oct 2017
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Featured in Fine Ar Connoisseur Magazine, Industrial - Nov Dec 2017
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Watercolor Workshop ‘Alla Seconda’, Padova, Italy 10, 11 December 2017
2016
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Feautured Artist at Lighthouse Plein Air Festival, Jupiter, Florida 9 — 13 March, 2016
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DVD Release ‘Watercolor the Italian Way — Alla Seconda Method’ — 15 April 2016
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Faculty at 5th Plein Air Convention & Expo, Tucson, AZ 15 — 19 April 2016
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Exhibiting in Fabriano, Italy – International Watercolor Festival, April 2015
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Workshop in Giverny, France, by Monet’s Lily Pond, June 27 —July 2, 2016
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Invited Artist at Premio Marche d’Acqua - Permanent Oeuvre at Museo della Carta, Fabriano
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Featured Artist at Door County Plein Air Festival, WI, Fish Creek 24 — 30 July 2016
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Workshop Instructor at MISA Madeline Island School of Arts , WI, 29 Aug— 2 Sep 2016
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Extended Article on Watercolor Painting Process on The Artist Magazine, UK Sept 2016
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Judge and Instructor at Watercolor Society of Oregon Conference, 7 — 14 October 2016
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Top 15% in the Bold Brush Painting Competition, Nov 2016 (The Installation)
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Winner Art Muse Contest, Master Class Prize, Nov 2016 (The Art Lover)
Artist Across the Borders
Biography of Francesco Fontana
AWS American Watercolor Society, Signature
NWS National Watercolor Society, Signature
MPA Milano Painting Academy, Faculty
Francesco Fontana is a professional artist with many years experience in oil, watercolor, acrylic and dry media. After art school, he followed his dream and started his artist journey in bohemian Paris, as a portrait artist. In the years to follow, he exhibited his art in Italy and France and his paintings are now in many private collections in Europe, USA and Asia.
Since 2008 Francesco is the co-founder and director of Fare Pittura Atelier, based in Milan Italy, where he teaches regular classes, of watercolor, oil and life drawing. He travels intensivly as a workshop instructor and presenter. Frequent painting destinations include Provence, Paris, Giverny, Normandy, Sicily, Umbria, Puglia - Invitations include Bali, Indonesia, and USA.
He's been a stage and field faculty member at the Plein Air Convention & Expo in Monterey, CA and Tucson, AZ also exhibiting in the expo space.
He exhibited three times at the American Watercolor Society International Exhibition in New York until becoming a Signature Member. At AWS he also won the third prize out of 1300 applicants in 2022 with Breakfast in America -- among countless other awards in his career.
In 2019 he represented Italy with 19 other masters at Fabriano in Acquarello and since 2021 he's among the international masters of the Monza Festival, one of the most prestigious in the world.
Fontana's been the juror, lecturer and workshop leader for the fall convention of the Watercolor Society of Oregon in 2016. Appearances in the press include Plein Air Magazine and Fine Art Connoisseur, The Art of Watercolor and The Artist -- UK. His DVD 'Watercolor the Italian Way -- The Alla Seconda Method' was released in 2016 by leading publisher Liliedhal in the USA.
Francesco received his BFA in Palermo, Italy where he was born. He extended his education with further years of study with Italian Masters as Maiotti, Lissoni and Pelizzoni. Later he met several International artists who broadened his technique and vision remarkably. Francesco has started his career in Paris, has lived in London and is fluent in English and French as well as his native Italian. He's the loving father of two little girls: Teresa and Flora.
Breakfast in America
Bronze Medal of Honor
AWS 2021 New York
