Jane Francis, Psychotherapist
The painting I have by Francesca Howard is called 'The Bravery of Starting on The Road Ahead'. It hangs in my consulting room. I am a psychotherapist and the aptness of the title for my work, and for my clients is clear. The painting is dominated by shades of blue, but has reds, yellows and greens woven through it. Sometimes it looks like a river winding through a landscape, sometimes like a night scene. My clients comment on it, and sometimes, perhaps when someone needs to detach from the content of the session, I ask them to look at the painting and tell me what they see. It is always meaningful in different ways. The connection between visual art, and the process of therapy is profound - inner worlds become manifest, interpreted, framed.
When Francesca delivered this painting she told me "I have a feeling this picture will do good work in your room." She was right.