John Rocco

“There are so many things calling you toward that computer or TV. You forget, we're a family. We're all supposed to spend time together and talk.”

“There have been many, many paintings of Theseus and the Minotaur, as it is one of the more popular myths, so how could I make mine different and new? I decided it would be best to make the most dynamic painting I could. I wanted to capture the moment right before the Minotaur's horn was snapped.”

“With 'Greek Gods,' I wanted to go with the blue and green hues of sky and water; with 'Heroes,' I felt the color needed to be more dramatic and give a sense of battle, rage, and yes, of blood. That's the world these demigods lived in, and I felt that orange and red would also compliment the greenish blue of the 'Gods' cover.”

“How do you make something the same but different? That's the question I had to deal with in my approach to the cover painting for 'Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes.' I wanted it to have many similarities to 'Percy Jackson's Greek Gods,' but I knew they couldn't be too similar.”

“I couldn't resist painting Orpheus and Charon on the River Styx. There was something strangely intriguing about seeing Orpheus playing his lyre as he is being shuttled across the river.”