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Pete would like you
to visit these sites:
Suds and Sentiments
Alchemical Wedding
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 I was born Panayiotis Emmanuel Efstathiadis in Thessaloniki Greece on July 16th, 1965. My parents immigrated to Philadelphia in 1970, leaving my sister (Eva) and me in the care of my grandparents until we joined them in Philadelphia in 1976.
As a child I enjoyed playing with Legos and just being awake. My parents would send me Legos, Crayons, and paint-by-number kits. I enjoyed building flat slabs of Legos by stacking them vertically like a wall. I'd then color on the sides of Legos with the Crayons after they were put together, then pull them apart and put them back together to create a different color scheme or pattern. I kept a small bucket of water and a cloth next to me to make cleaning off the Crayon and starting over again easier.
 The town of Thessaloniki sits on a hillside, and living towards the top quarter of the town had many benefits. Going to the roof and sitting there looking at the city, the water below, and the blue sky above was like dreaming without having to fall asleep.
Works in 'The Other Side' gallery are influenced by growing up in an environment that included having a really big balcony. I would sit on the edge and sketch whatever would be posed on the balconies across the alleyway, usually a cat or different plants in pots, but it was always about the colors and shapes.
Jokingly I like to tell people the reason why I came to the U.S. at the age of 11 was that the candy and toys were much better here than in Greece. The real reason, though, was that my sister, who is 6 1/2 years older than I am was ready to attend Temple University for an Architectural degree.
 My parents tried to have children soon after Eva was born, but my mother had medical difficulties. The doctors told them they wouldn't be able to have any more children other then Eva, so I came as a total surprise to them. I guess there must be a reason for everything.
To be continued ...
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