Occupation: I am a roofing contractor, and when I can get away, I like to get out and do some oil painting. I do a lot of landscapes and local scenes. I traded some contracting for art classes at Silvermine a few years ago, but I’m pretty much self-taught. I do a lot of painting with my palette knife.

Family: I’m married to Elyce. We have two kids. Tori, our daughter, is 14, and James Jr is 13. Both are on the Honor Roll, which is great.

Pets: We have two yellow Labradors, Scruffy and Wiley. They’re brothers and are about 9 or 10 years old now. They’re really a lot alike. We have a black rabbit, too, named Licorice.

How long have you lived in Newtown? We’ve lived in Newtown since 2003. We came here from Stamford, where my wife and I were born and raised.

What do you like to do in your free time? Painting does take up a lot of my free time. Right now, I have prints at Bagel Delight and some original pieces and prints for sale at Queen Street Gifts. I like to look at art books, and I like spending time with my family. We go to movies every week or so.

Do you have a favorite movie? I like Clint Eastwood movies, but one of my favorites is Apocalypse Now. I’ve seen it many times.

Do you have a favorite travel destination? We like tropical places. We went to Esperanza Resort in Carlos San Lucas, Mexico, about four years ago. We went out on a charter boat fishing for marlin, and our host actually fell overboard. He was okay, though. We’ve been to the Bahamas, Jamaica, The Keys, Barbados, and some other islands. We go away when it’s cold here. It’s good to get away.

What is the best thing about Newtown? It’s a safe, great place to raise a family. There are good quality people here, and good schools.

What has been the greatest influence in your life? The creative opportunities of the day, no matter what I’m doing. It might be the act of making art, or talking to a group of people, or being on a job.

Do you have a personal philosophy? My motto for living is, whatever the day brings.

Do you have a guilty pleasure? For me, it would be winter ice cream, anywhere on the way home that serves ice cream.