Golden Opportunity

Wickedly funny, White was known for delivering bawdy lines with an innocent face or “sticking the knife in with a smile,” says Stephanos, recalling her hilariously off-color barbs during a 2006 roast of William Shatner.  

Stephanos’ appreciation for White’s charms and contradictions is evident in the warmth and deep humanity of his portrait, based on a 2010 photograph by Kwaku Alston. 

Starting with a hand-drawn pencil sketch, Stephanos added vibrant layers of digital paint in Photoshop. Hidden within the image is a tribute to White’s dedication to animals: a paw-print earring in her right ear, inspired by an animal-print blouse his wife, revered journalist and WCVB anchor Maria Stephanos, was wearing at the breakfast table as he sketched one morning.

Though Stephanos is no stranger to high-profile achievements—including checking off a childhood dream when his artwork appeared on the cover of MAD Magazine—the buzz around this project has been unprecedented, with coverage in national outlets like People, CNN, The New York Times, and even a mention on Late Night With Seth Meyers. Next year, his portrait of Betty White will be available in miniature form at post offices nationwide.

“I feel like I conned my way into being a tiny thread in the fabric of American history,” Stephanos laughs. 

His path to becoming an acclaimed illustrator was anything but conventional. Stephanos got his start drawing ads and murals for legendary New England discount chain Building #19 as a teenager (after failing miserably as a mattress salesman on their retail floor), then honed his speed and skill as a caricaturist traveling around the country before building a portfolio as an editorial illustrator. More than raw talent, he puts his own success down to his ability to work quickly and connect with people. 

Now, as a lecturer at Suffolk, Stephanos shares those hard-earned lessons with his students. He often points to a color wheel to teach harmony and contrast, explaining that while complementary colors are opposites, they create balance.

“[With this project] I delivered something that the entire spectrum can agree on, which is so rare. I guess I’ll never win the lottery, because this is the equivalent for me. I was somehow the vessel for a very positive message in a very bitterly divided moment.”