Born in New Zealand in 1942, Papas is of Scottish and Greek parentage, a heritage which has seen him travel extensively across Europe, deriving great inspiration from the overwhelming classicism and history of that region. Over his long artistic career, Papas' prodigious energy sees him move from painting, to ceramics, to murals and collage, alternating and mixing media as the need or mood arises. He often uses a wide range of media - bronze, steel, glass, perspex, ceramic, paper and canvas - to express a concept, and in all works generates a sense of place that is essential to his practice with pieces forming a harmonious relationship with the environment in which they exist.