Born in London, he took evening classes under Mr Nicholson at the Birmingham Art School whilst selling Insurance by day. In WWI he served as an Officer in the Worcestershire Regiment, in charge of building bridges and blockhouses. After the War, he settled in Reddich, and went on camping tours around the south of England.

In 1926 he studied at the FORBES SCHOOL of Painting, and some of this early work is signed F Jamieson-Smith. In the mid-1930s he moved to St Ives and rented the Loft Studio, becoming a member of the newly formed St Ives Society of Artists.  His first exhibition with them was in the 1939 Autumn Exhibition.

His work was frequently exhibited with John Anthony PARK, Arthur HAYWARD, and Dorothea SHARP, all of whose work have a shared resonance. Frank met his wife, Joyce, on his travels, marrying shortly before World War II in Penzance Registry Office. During a prolonged painting visit in Ireland, their daughter Daphne, was born. He exhibited his work at the Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts in Dublin. By 1946 he had moved to 42 High Street, Falmouth, with a studio overlooking the River Fal. A major studio collection of his work was sold in Penzance in 1994 (WH Lane & Son).