My grandfather was a very special person in my life. He had serenity in a chaotic word, he was patient and affectionate with annoying children like myself, and he liked to laugh. As a very young man, he escaped poverty in Calabria by getting on a boat and starting a new life in the United States, just a couple years before World War I broke out. He wrote home often, and sent money and gifts to his mother and siblings for his entire life. I am certain that the photo I used for a reference for this painting got sent home to his mother: “Mom, look at me, I did it, I’m a success. I have nice clothes, I’m not skinny, look at my handsome son, and hey, I can afford to own a big American car, like this one.”