Drawing inspiration from the visual world around him, Osborne explores the idea that the work already exists on some level, and it is up to the artist to puzzle through an index of visual information and physical material to compose images that make an immediate impact.
Central to Osborne’s practice is the desire to bring the overlooked to the forefront of his work and highlight the fact that visual inspiration can be found in everyday life. According to Osborne, anything can be the start of an idea or the basis of a painting, and he seeks to pay close attention to the unnoticed areas of beauty within the urban environment. From textures on walls to construction markings on the road, Osborne’s work aims to draw attention to the unobserved and create images that place these unnoticed elements at the forefront.
In his artistic process, Osborne employs familiar materials and visual prompts that enhance the viewer’s sensory experience, as he poses fundamental questions about the nature of visual communication. His work explores what makes an image and how visual language can be used to communicate effectively, while investigating how we react when it reaches our nervous system.
Through his playful experimentation and close observation of the world around him, Francis Osborne invites us to take a closer look at the overlooked aspects of our surroundings and discover new forms of beauty in the mundane.