Frank Frazetta was born when the nation fell into the worst economic condition ever faced, the Great Depression. Frank’s father, Alfred, immigrated to the United States from Italy in the early 1900s. Al worked as a stone-setter in Brooklyn, NY. Stone-setters were considered specialized technicians and never moved beyond that skill into smithing gold or other areas of jewelry making. He was considered a successful blue-collar worker, while Frank's mother, Mary, a second generation Italian-American, raised Frank and his three sisters in a humble home located in Sheepshead Bay. In the 1930s, the economic downfall stole the hopes and dreams of a nation but not for young Frank. Perhaps too young to grasp what was happening to the nation’s economy, Frank knew a better future was in the cards for him. He knew that if he wanted to achieve certain things in life, like success, he would have to work extremely hard and be consciously independent from his family. At age 3 he began to draw with an obsession. When he would run out of scratch paper he would grab a novel from his parent's bookshelf so he could fill the endpapers with hundreds of doodles. He loved how art made him feel. Later in life he remarked, art made him feel alive. He sold his first crayon drawing to his grandmother for a single penny. That transaction sparked Frank’s confidence and reassured him it was okay to dream big. Quoted in ‘Testament: The Life and Art of Frank Frazetta,’ “I have got thank my grandma for showing me that there was money to be made in art. I recall with gratitude the interest she showed in my efforts and the encouragement she gave me each and every day.” Frank remembered Brooklyn as a magical place that fed his imagination. When he entered grade school his teachers began to notice his talent when he would grace the blackboards with Santa Clauses, Easter bunnies, and turkeys. He also produced countless personal comic books and filled his notebooks with drawings of classmates. His teachers eventually contacted his parents and urged them to enroll Frank into an art school. With great reassurance from Frank’s grandmother and his school teachers, Mary and Alfred realized their son indeed had a God-given gift. He was a born artist. They decided to enroll eight-year-old Frank in weekend classes at the one-room Brooklyn Academy of Fine Arts located at 85-87 Court Street, Brooklyn NY. The academy was approximately 8 ½ miles from their family home in Sheepshead Bay and cost $8 per month. Operated by fine artist, Michele Falanga, the art school, formerly known as Leonardo Da Vinci Art School, offered students a chance to study painting, sculpting and drawing from life and still life There were a total of 30 students ranging in age from eight to eighty. Frank remembered Falanga’s look of skepticism as he signed in for his first day, “You could easily imagine him thinking, ‘Oh no! Not another child prodigy!" Despite Frank’s insecurities regarding his age, Falanga respected all artists who had a desire to learn. Falanga immediately instructed Frank to participate with his classmates as he handed Frank a blank paper, pencil and a postcard with a small duck painting on the front. He instructed Frank to copy the artwork to the best of his ability. When Falanga returned to observe Frank’s progress, he snatched up the drawing, threw his hands in the air and with great joy yelled, “Mama Mia!” At that moment, everyone in that class knew magic was about to unfold. To learn more visit FrazettaGirls.com