I began painting on the Greek island of Paros, later receiving a BFA (Painting) from Rhode Island School of Design in 1986.

My biggest influences have been the Byzantine icons of my youth, Cycladic art and the Madonna and child depictions of the Italian Renaissance, which I studied while living in Florence.

I describe my paintings as 'internal portraits'. My figures, although non-representational, are real people. The colours and symbols represent aspects of their character or emotional state. My paintings are large scale, life size, oil on canvas.

I moved to the Scottish Borders seven years ago and feel at home here. My paintings now reflect a feeling of being rooted in myself as well as in my new home, Scotland.

E-mail: aw@howlin-owl.com