When painting historic architecture, I delight in the craftsmanship of the past. I think about the multiple factors that came together to create these grand containers of human activity. In houses like the Villa Terrace and the Charles Allis, I am reminded of the building blocks that created this world: patrons, architects, craftspeople, natural resources and materials, and the workers and servants that made it function. When the original family dies or moves on, the house evolves into something else while still harboring remnants of its original purpose. I feel fortunate, as a descendant of common folk, to have the chance to experience these environments and to interpret their present incarnation as community spaces.