George Papadakis

As a kid in New Jersey, I remember trying to draw my favorite Matchbox toy, a 1973 Lesney jet. It was bright yellow with an electric blue windshield. I couldn't get it, and I was so frustrated. I wanted so much to transfer that beautiful three-dimensional jet to my two-dimensional paper. This was the beginning of my lifelong fascination with drawing and painting—the captivating challenge of capturing a likeness. By high school in Yorktown, Va., I was already getting commissions to draw portraits for friends. I majored in fine art at Longwood University and just kept practicing drawing, shading, and coloring. That was it for me; I can’t imagine doing anything else.

For 40 years, I’ve honed my technique and style for mixed-media drawings and paintings done on watercolor boards. I really enjoy figuring out how to make a piece that instantly recalls the subject but has added vibrancy and emotion.

I loved sports growing up, so my early pieces were mostly NFL player portraits. When I graduated college, I needed to show my art somewhere, and I really wished my art program had required a business course! I found a local sports pub happy to hang my prints. One night, the owner called because Chris Slade of the New England Patriots was there and wanted me to draw his portrait! I was so excited—the Patriots were one of my favorite NFL teams growing up (partly because of the great artwork on their helmets and uniforms).

That piece led to an invitation to do a portrait of Dan Marino for a celebrity event hosted by Bruce Smith (a Buffalo Bills all-pro defensive end). Dan autographed my portrait, and it was the top-selling item in the live auction. I met other athletes there who invited me to their charity events. I started traveling nationwide to do portraits for NFL and MLB players. Marshall Faulk, Brian Mitchell, Ricky Proehl, John Smoltz, Junior Seau, Willie Stargell, and Torry Holt were all portraits I produced this season. During this time, I was also taking on personal and corporate commissions, including magazine covers of Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O’Neal for Athlon Sports.

I genuinely enjoyed traveling, showing my art to new people, meeting sports legends, and supporting the charities benefiting from these events. That’s really what I feel like I was put on this earth to do—create art that people appreciate and does good for the world. But when my dad became ill, my art and my life had to pivot. While taking care of him, I took a commission for Olympic pole vaulter Sandi Morris. It was the largest and hardest piece I had ever done. My dad was declining, and I met the woman who is now my wife. It ended up being the most rewarding and lucrative piece I've created, borne out of a difficult but beautiful time.

Losing my dad, getting married, and moving to Williamsburg, Va., continued to shake up my life. I realized that I'd never really made art that I wanted to do for myself and my own inspiration. While caring for my dad, we watched movies from his youth and listened to a lot of Frank Sinatra. Watching his smiling expression as he enjoyed his "wonder years" through nostalgia was wonderful. There was a real sweetness to that time that greatly deepened our relationship.

I've been a commission-based artist for the majority of my career, happily creating art for others. But now I feel drawn toward the warm, nostalgic feeling I had with my dad and want to share it in my art. I'm drawing and painting glimpses of my childhood, transporting me back in time for a moment and reliving my fondest memories of growing up. I would love to hear what memories and images take you back...