Francisco Silva was born in Lima, Peru. When he was three his family migrated to the United States settling in New Jersey where he was raised. Encouraged by his parents, he began drawing at the age of five by copying cartoons from candy wrappers. While attending Parsons School of Design he studied composition, color and oil painting as well as illustration. After graduating, he continued oil painting and exhibited in various group shows at that time. Francisco started working as a graphic designer at an art magazine that took up much of his time and eventually he stopped painting. His profession turned from graphic design, to web design, to his current job as a web developer. January 2019 marked his return to painting after 35 years of absence. He began with landscapes inspired by his backpacking trips on the Appalachian Trail. Currently, his work has shifted to portraying urban scenes inspired by the works of Edward Hopper and artists from the Ashcan School. The rich textiles of his Peruvian roots influence his use of vibrant color and his brushwork is a combination of loose, painterly strokes and controlled detail.