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When I first started painting, I mainly focused on landscapes and seascapes. A patron (soon-to-be friend) in Greece asked me for a portrait of his grandson, who was about three years old at the time. I told him I didn’t do portraits. He said, “Well, it’s about time you do.” He now owns over 20 of my paintings; when I was just starting out, he owned about 5, so I smartly decided to keep him happy. I followed the kid around for half a day, taking photos and doing quick sketches. He moved around a lot. I played with him...

As an artist, everything I see is a source of inspiration. When you know and love a place, your artistic response is, by definition, intimate and appreciative. I know and love where I live here in New England. I came here as a 13-year-old from the Midwest. I have never become bored or complacent about this area. Even the Fairhaven bridge is still magical for me as it forces me (sometimes with terrible timing) to stop and take in the harbor, the boats, and the sea wall. I love sharing my appreciation and feelings for this area—hence my New England Life series. I tend to...

  I love doing commissions. I take inspiration from whatever the clients have in mind for a piece. I have enjoyed every one of my commissions because the paintings usually contain subjects I would not have done. Commissions push me out of my comfort zone so that I get to deal with a whole new set of parameters and subject matter.  I do love the collaborative aspect of commissions. I get to know my clients by what they want in art; I often see where they live, and we talk about what they want and why. I really get a...

  Q: What was the first painting of Greece you made? The first painting I did was of red poppies in a field coming down a mountain in Mykonos.  It was a year that everyone remembers as the ‘year of the poppies.’ Back in those days, we took pictures with our cameras. The red was so intense it seemed to burn the photographic paper. It was just unreal how red all the mountains and hills were. It was the first painting I sold, and it was also the first painting I did where I drew and took pictures and wasn't copying...

Flowers have been around for about 120 million years. They’ve had quite some time to evolve into what we see today. We have evolved in a world of flowers, so the enjoyment of their shapes, smells, and colors has been bred into us. Like most people, I have always been attracted by flowers. When I was very young, I saw Van Gogh’s paintings of irises, sunflowers, and cherry blossoms on a national tour of his work back in the early '60s. We went to the Cleveland Art Museum, and I was transfixed. Later, Monet’s water lilies stunned me. When I...