Francine Hsu Davis was born and raised in Queens, NY. Growing up in NYC, surrounded by art, she had the opportunity to engage with some of the world's greatest art institutions. While earning her undergraduate degree at Barnard College, the pull towards art led Francine to take elective studio art and art history courses. She continued her education at the Yale School of Architecture, earning a Masters of Architecture professional degree.
In the summer of 2014, her interest in urbanism and art, led her to put her successful architecture career on hold in NYC and move her family to Asia to experience a new culture and to learn Mandarin. There she drew and painted daily, creating her “100 Days of Taipei” project.
After two years living in Taipei, Taiwan and traveling around Asia (visiting Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, and Singapore), Francine returned to the United States, choosing to settle on the West Coast after spinning the globe and stopping her finger on San Francisco. She painted full time in her studio in Oakland, taking cues from her urban experiences, vast travel background, and love of color. Francine works primarily in oil, but has been known to experiment with watercolor, gouache, acrylics and anything she can draw with (even eyeliner). In 2018, she moved back to her hometown of NYC and now paints out of her studio in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.