Painter Kevin Noonan’s interest in art began in childhood. “My grandfather is a gifted folk-art painter, so I grew up around painting,” says the Connecticut native, who has a degree in Buddhist Studies from Antioch College in Ohio. “I got the chance to study in India and Burma, where I did meditation, but when I was there I also studied Buddhist iconography and modern Burmese painting. I even visited the state art school in Rangoon and talked to artists there.”