I am of Greek and Polish ancestry, born April of 1948 in  Arusha, Tanzania. 

At the age of 13,  my artistic talent began to emerge as I won a few school

awards in art and was asked by the school teacher to create paintings

for the school festival.

While attending the Prince of Wales High School in Nairobi, Kenya, I became more involved with art.  Africa's landscapes, animal and birds dominated my drawings and paintings.  My art teacher was impressed and with his assistance, I began showing my work at the art gallery at the historic Stanley Hotel in Nairobi.  At the age of 16 I sold my first painting, a scene of a lioness killing a kudu.  That sale inspired me, starting a painting career for me.

In August 1966 I entered the United States and resided in Bristol, CT where I joined the Bristol art league and showed my art work on a regular basis, winning a number of awards.  In 1967 I attended Hartford Technical College for a mechanical engineering degree.  After graduating I was hired by Superior Electric Company in Bristol, CT where I worked for six years.  While there I completed a number of paintings which I sold on a part-time basis and

entered a number of shows.  While my artwork continued to pay homage to Africa's majesty, New England's beauty began to influence my art.

In 1968 I entered a number of art shows in Newington, Plainville and Bristol and won three awards with local newspaper write ups in each town.  On April 28, 1970 I had my first one man show in downtown Hartford, CT in the lobby of the famous landmark, Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Company, which was a success.  The Hartford Courant ran my picture along with my art.  This photo was accompanied with an impressive interview by Barbara Carlson.  I sold a

number of paintings at this show.

Through the years my painting subjects grew to include the Greek ruins, seascapes as well as a number of tropical scenes, but Africa's and New England's affect on me can be found in my work.

In July 1973 I was married to Niki Dimitratos. 

On June 10, 1973 and October 13, 1974 I had one man shows at the the Plainville Professional Bldg. Plainville, CT.  Both shows were a success.  I've continued oil painting through the years while also experimenting with different media.  Examples include: 

sculptures, wood burning art, acrylic and water color paintings.

I opened a few restaurants, starting with Max Pizza in Bristol, CT in 1984, the White Birch Inn on the Southington-Bristol line and in 1989 The Stonewell Restaurant in Farmington, CT.  At each of the restaurants I displayed my works of art and currently display approximately 30 paintings at The Stonewell Restaurant.

My wife Niki and I have three boys, Ari, Daki and Niko.  As they were growing up I was constantly taking pictures and practiced sketching them and encouraged them to draw or paint.  Photography is another hobby I enjoy.  Certainly when I combine my artistic vision through the eye of the camera, capturing certain moods is a great pleasure. 

I enjoy horse racing very much.  Watching those graceful and muscular animals run is a beauty that drives me to sketch and paint them.  Through the years other interests occupied my time.  I enjoy salt and fresh water fishing.  Owning my own boat has been a great advantage through the years.  I have enjoyed and loved taking pictures of great seascapes. 

In 1997 I discovered the great game of golf and its beauty and it drove me to paint and take great collections of beautiful pictures of assorted scenes.  I use a variety of techniques and media expressing different painting moods.  My art work is mostly realistic but I also achieve a satisfaction by diverting to abstract subjects.

In February 2000 we created my art website.  It's a great way to be able to view a gallery with most of my work.  I have sold a number of paintings while at the Stonewell Restaurant and I am currently working to improve my portrait painting and other modern techniques and ideas.

While my three boys were maturing to adults they all loved sports, so eventually I started doing a number of portraits of them playing football in water color and oil pallet knife style color paintings.  I was commissioned to do a number of art works for different families and friends, including Charles Welch, which is my favorite portrait in oil and I have done others in water colors.

On June 10, 2002 I had my first art show at the Stonewell Restaurant which turned out to be a great success.  For the last few years I just did commissioned work for friends and for the St. George Orthodox Church.  When the 2004 Olympics were held in Greece, the church had me do four paintings representing the Olympic games.

Now that my three boys have graduated from college and are successful with their lives, I plan to retire and focus on my artwork, especially now that Niko, my youngest son is in the NFL playing for the Seattle Seahawks for a second year and accomplished going to the Super Bowl for the first time in Detroit on February 5, 2006.  My plan is to concentrate on creating portraits of NFL players and other sport figures.

My vision of creativity has not been achieved yet and to fulfill these avenues I need to accomplish all my ideas by focusing on my photography (I have 4,000 pictures in my computer) and creating great paintings.  My hope is to be able to share my vision of the world and its beauty with others through my art.

Stelios Koutouvides