Francis Switzer was born in 1986 in Billings, Montana. Since he was very young Francis has always had an aptitude for art and like his father, Scott, Francis is a gifted oil painter. In 1999 he moved to Alaska with his family where his student artwork began to draw the attention of his teachers there. In 2002 he received a Congressional Award; his painting was among 2 pieces of student artwork chosen from each state and included in an exhibition in the United States Capital. After high school in, 2004, Francis moved back to Bozeman, Montana where he worked as a stone mason while continuing to paint in every free moment he had.

Francis later apprenticed with painter Robert Moore in Idaho, and has since returned to Montana, where he lives and paints in Missoula.