I had the great honour to call Mike my friend mentor and illustrator dad ....i was a junior illustrator at illustrators London ,with mike ,Ivan and Tony ...they not only taught me how to become an illustrator,but how to have fun doing it .
Mike took me under his wing ...and for that i will always owe him ,,He was a true master of his art and most of all A FANTASTIC. GEEZER ....LOVE YOU MATE ...
Michael Edward Francis (9 May 1938 - 1 Jun 2023)
Funeral Director
- Location
- Cray Wanderers FC Sidcup Bypass Chislehurst BR7 6HL
- Date
- 29th Jun 2023
- Time
- 3pm
In loving memory of Michael Edward Francis who sadly passed away on 1st June 2023
Mike was a very talented artist. After leaving school at the age of 14 he worked at Rome artists studio in Denman Street, Soho until commencing National Service in 1956 becoming the Camp's resident 'Picasso'. He returned to Rome Studios where he stayed until until 1968, when setting up Illustrators London to become one of the country's leading commercial illustrators alongside his lifelong friend Ivan Rose. He became a full-fledged artist in 1974 after winning the 150th Annivesary Poster for the National Gallery, becoming part of the famous Nicholas Treadwell Gallery and began showing his phototealist work all over the world for the next 20 yrs. Alongside all of this he continued with prestigious commisions for a star studded collectors list. Subsequently, throughout the 1990s and 2000s he had shows with Whitford Fine Art, Messums, Panter and Hall, Plus One Gallery in Chelsea and partnered with his best friend Eric Scott at the Galerie des Arts in the South of France. In a lifetime he produced over 5000 works. Outside all of this he was a lover of Chelsea, Horse Racing, Music, Comedy, Film and Cray Wanderers FC whom he supported for over 20 yrs. He was a loving father to Joe and Louise, husband to Caroline, partner of Barbara, stepdad to Yolanta and Nathan, and devoted grandfather to Louis, George, Isabelle and Lily, Taylor and Amber. He shone a light on all those he met. He saw life through an artists eye and the world is sadder place for his passing. R.I.P Mike.
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