This portrait is one of two I painted in 2016 for the Erie Insurance Company. The other, of Susan Hagen, daughter of the company's founder, appears elsewhere in this exhibition. Terence Cavanaugh is a tall, elegant ... (more)

Terence Cavanaugh
CEO, Erie Insurance

This portrait is one of two I painted in 2016 for the Erie Insurance Company. The other, of Susan Hagen, daughter of the company's founder, appears elsewhere in this exhibition. Terence Cavanaugh is a tall, elegant, self-assured man with a very likeable, friendly manner. When I asked what he might wish to include in the portrait's background, he surprised me by sending to my studio a box containing a fireman's helmet. Mr. Cavanaugh's longtime participation in a local volunteer fire company was a source of satisfaction and pride. I was delighted to include the helmet in the painting. Mr. Cavanaugh's very shapely and eloquent hands are an important element in this composition, as is his boldly-striped necktie.