Peter Maher: Follows his Passion through Art

IF: This month, Around the World Travel Blog welcomes Peter Maher, painter, artist and world traveller. Thank you for joining me today, Peter.

PM: Thank you, Irene.

IF: When did you begin painting? 

PM: The earliest painting that I have is one that I did when I was around five years old. I have drawn and painted ever since. My first job was in the royalty department of a publishing house in London, England. This meant I had to write royalty statements in ink with a dip-in pen. One day the owner came by and noticed some scribblings on the blotter and suggested that I apply for the newly vacated job of book designer. From here, I eventually moved on to art director and freelance graphic designer and left London for Toronto. Eventually I freelanced and occasionally did a bit of painting. In 1989 I moved to France until 1991 and, during this time, I worked on renovating a French farm house for an English painter and then started painting with him. When I returned to Toronto I tried to paint one day a week. I moved to France in 2006 and have painted full-time ever since.

Dining at Del Posto, Manhattan (New York City)

By Irene Fantopoulos

Del Posto Ristorante is located on 85 10th Avenue near what is known as the Meat Packing District, just south of Chelsea and near the High Line Park. It is the brainchild of renowned chefs and entrepreneurs Joe Bastianich, Lidia Bastianich and Mario Batali. 

The Greek Bucket List - Are these on Yours?

Written by: Irene Fantopoulos

We’ve seen many lists on just about everything. What we haven’t seen is Greek things to do before you die. 

Check out my top picks for the Greek bucket list.

Syros, Greece: Hidden Gem of the Aegean

It’s that time of year again, when many of us are planning our summer vacations. Perhaps Greece is your next destination, and while there you’re planning to visit the islands. Why not visit one of the less popular ones, like Syros found in the Cycladic cluster of islands in the Aegean.

Few are familiar with Syros, and if they are, it is in passing. Syros, is the capitol of the Cyclades and has made significant contributions to the Greek culture and economy. Syros was once the epicentre for justice, medicine and architecture for the Cyclades until the early 1900s.

Picasso Exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario

          Join me next month as I visit the Picasso Exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Canada. Having seen some of Picasso's artwork at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid, I look forward to seeing his work in my own backyard, so to speak.
          I will always remember Picasso's famous and awe-inspiring mural-size (11 ft by 25 ft) canvas, Guernica, depicted below. The painting, in black and white, is about the devastation of war and its impact on everyday people. Picasso painted this oil on canvas to bring attention to the German bombing of the town of Guernica in the Basque region, during the Spanish Civil War.