Francis grew up in rural North Dorset and studied at Bournemouth College of Art, Wimbledon School of Art, and Hornsey College of Art. A lifelong figurative painter, his work explores both landscape and urban life, with a particular focus on people and everyday interactions. Always working directly from observation in oil on canvas, even on busy London streets, Francis is known for his paintings of cafés, bars, and city scenes, where reflections in glass create layered compositions of figures, architecture, and traffic. These overlapping viewpoints bring a distinctive blend of realism, abstraction, and spatial complexity to his work. Based in Cambridge, a recent theme has been at Newmarket horse sales; where he has captured the theatrical bustling scenes.