Frances Patella, born in Italy, resides in Toronto. Her photo-based work explores transformation in the landscapes of prescribed burns. Frances’ work has been exhibited in solo, juried, group exhibitions and art fairs, including Art Toronto.

She has received numerous grants for Artists In Education and Mid-Career grants from the Ontario and Toronto Arts Councils. Frances won Best In Show and Purchase Awards for the City of Vaughan juried exhibitions. She holds a BFA from York University, a B.ED. from the University of Toronto and studied Visual Arts at the University of Western with painter Paterson Ewen.

Frances also studied drawing and art history in Florence, Italy, through the University of Windsor. Frances’ work has been widely collected in public, private and corporate collections and reproduced on magazine and CD covers.

Frances apprenticed with multimedia artist Noel Harding and was Joyce Wieland’s arts administrator. She is a member of the Ontario Society of Artists, and a long-time member of Propeller Gallery and former Chair. Frances has taught visual arts and analog photography in the Toronto District School Board, conducted Visual Arts and Alternative Cyanotype workshops in numerous school boards throughout Southern Ontario, the Photo Educators Forum in Toronto and the National Gallery of Photography in Ottawa. For many years, she was a Member of the Board and Chair of Jury and Judges for the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair.

Frances continues to be active in the Toronto arts community, coordinating numerous exhibitions and events.