I started painting while working in animation. At first I would practice from photos, then started painting people in real life. Doing portraits required me to notice skin tones, creases in clothing, textures in fabric, darks and lights—intricate, subtle features.

I particularly like re-creating paintings by famous artists from the 17th century. During my childhood my mother took us to the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin, where I fell in love with the works of Caravaggio. Later, while getting my bachelor’s degree in Arizona, I went to Italy for several months to study painting like the masters at the Florence Academy of Art. (It was my only formal training in art.) I’m a big fan of Honthorst. He painted regular people—sometimes missing teeth, often drinking and playing music. You can see this in my painting called “After Honthorst,” which is a replica of his “The Merry Fidler 1623.” I like the energy of his characters.