With an intention to find “balance” in his work, Franzese is an artist unconstrained by even his own methods. Working with no standard format or formula, each panel and canvas created by Franzese is its own singular creation. Born in Italy, Franzese has been around precious metals his whole life. His father was a jeweler and thus a young Gianluca was exposed to the craftsmanship of metal leafing at an early age. The family moved to New York, where Franzese attended the prestigious Pratt Institute of Art before following his roots back to Italy where Franzese abandoned the contemporary art world and steeped himself in the traditional styles and methods of the old masters at the esteemed Florence Academy of Art. He spent four years in Florence learning the craft of sight size, sculpture and mixing paints. With his classical training complete, Franzese moved back to the US and settled in San Francisco where the artist lives, works and plays today. The skillful young artist quickly achieved success in San Francisco including being commissioned to create a series of paintings for the historic Presidio Foundation. Franzese would soon take another sabbatical to Italy where he worked for private clients in a mélange of art mediums, including decorative painting where he honed his skill at metal leafing and trompe-l’œil.