Despite growing up in a family with no other artists, Deladier Almeida started sketching when he was just five years old. His friends in his native country, Brazil, would pose for him while he created portraits that seemed beyond his years. When he got older, he studied urban planning, industrial design and architecture while working at a San Paolo newspaper creating portraits of international heads of state.

In 1985, Deladier moved to the United States where he attended UC Davis and began studying art more intensely. It was there that he met renowned artists Wayne Thiebaud, Roland Peterson and Roy De Forest, all of whom had an influence on the aspiring artist.

Working quickly, with an emphasis on improvised brushwork, De...