The exciting thing about the Francesca Shakespeare’s work is that it continues to evolve, though it is still greatly influenced by frescos and medieval art which made such an impression on her during her time as an art student in Italy. That was more than three decades ago; since then she has been a professional muralist in London during the 1980s and 1990s, and is now happily settled in her Oxford studio, where she is producing some quite remarkable pictures.

Those who admired the decorated wooden spoons, created by 1,000 Oxfordshire artists to celebrate 1,000 years of Oxfordshire’s history, will already be familiar with the talents of this remarkable artist who devised this collective work. The spoons have now been dismantled, having been exhibited all over the county during the past two years, and Francesca is concentrating on her own work.

Because she uses simple raw materials for her work, it offers something very special. This is an artist who goes for natural pigments, plasters, wax and gold leaf to bring her pictures to life.

By combining ancient methods with modern subject matter, she manages to link the past with the present and create works that display a timelessness that cannot be ignored.

Her latest works include several stunning two-dimensional works, built up from layers of texture until they become almost bas-relief in some places, while carved and incised in others. She is particularly proud of Holding up the Bank (see above), which depicts a line of people doing just that – it is a political statement – but it is also a stunning picture of which she is justifiably proud.

Other works that can be viewed (May 9-10, 14-17) at her Summertown studio, at the bottom of her garden, include many very colourful paintings that celebrate stripes and the vitality of everyday objects such as rosy apples and deckchairs.