Frank Michael Trozzo
About Me
Frank Michael Trozzo is a Napa artist and designer whose current focus is creating a series of wildlife paintings. He has used his artistic talents in many different fields, jewelry, sculpture, digital arts, multimedia, web design.
My background is in design and business. I had art and jewelry galleries in San Francisco, a successful web and multimedia company, and interests in real estate.
I was born in Washington DC and attended schools there and in Maryland.
My mother encouraged me to draw and paint when I was young and so my father gave me a set of oil paints when I was nine. I made models as a boy and these gave me an interest in history. Mother painted one of my helicopters with oil paint and it took forever to dry. After that I decided to paint my own, using the correct paint, but discovered oil could be used to paint pictures. I spent many hours painting Greek and Roman warriors as well as a variety of landscapes, buildings and faces.
I tend to be mostly a 3D artist, but in college I had a wonderful painting teacher at Virginia Wesleyan University, Barclay Sheaks, who inspired and taught me how to use acrylics and furthered my understanding of oils. I apprenticed to John Witt at the Cross Mill Gallery in Ashland Virginia where I learned bronze casting and built my own portable foundry.
After college I went to work on a master’s degree in Sculpture at the University of Maryland. I also worked for a brief time with Jim Sanborn at Glen Echo Foundry in Maryland. I was doing art shows and trying to sell sculpture and paintings, but it was a difficult time. My sister was making silver jewelry and since the processes are similar, I decided to try it. Every piece of jewelry I made sold quickly and so I decided to pursue it and learn as much as I could. I gave up my sculpture studies and made it out to California looking for a school that taught goldsmithing. I ended up at California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland where I met German trained goldsmith and designer, Alan Revere. I took some training and he helped me get my first job. I worked in that field, saved money and ended up at the Fachhochschule fur Gestaltung in Schwabish Gmund Germany. I worked there as a goldsmith and diamond setter.
I came back to California in 1979 and opened my own shop. I met my wife in 1982 and together we opened a craft gallery in San Francisco where I made fine jewelry and sculpture and showed the work of other excellent artists.At that time, computers were beginning to take hold and I spent hours learning to program. I met someone who did multimedia CD Roms and he taught me what I needed to know. I developed the multimedia business and then started a web design company which led into investing in real estate. I became a broker, bought and sold houses, did remodels and helped clients.
In 2014 I began to re-evaluate my life after a serious medical condition. I realized that life is fleeting and I should be doing what I love to do. Ideas that I had been ignoring started to flow. I’ve been painting every day ever since.
Education
BA Virgina Wesleyan College in Art/Education 1974
University of Maryland Masters Program in Art 1975
Fachhochschule fur Gestaltung Schwabish Gmund, Germany 1977-78
UCSF Multimedia Studies Program 1985
CRS courses completed 2005
CCIM courses competed 2009
Credentials and Affiliations
Licensed California real estate broker
North Bay Association of Realtors
California Association of Realtors
Business Background
30 years of business and consulting experience
CEO of two start up business
Expertise in market research, finance, strategic planning,