Ricardo Osmondo Francis

Ricardo Osmondo Francis was born in Houston, Texas to an African American mother and a Panamanian father. He was raised in Houston and Los Angeles, California and founded the alternative visual art group BLAFTCO while attending the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston. He received a B.F.A. in painting at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. Francis later moved to New York City, where he founded Apanamae Productions, an independent art company. He is currently Gallery Director of the LeonidesArts NY Gallery.

"I think for a lot of people, being black, and even being a man can be very difficult. But I chose not to have that as an issue. And I think that I’ve survived life better by not allowing that to be an issue. I don’t want to be bitter, and I don’t want to be angry."