When as a child I first realized that I could depict things around me through drawing, my art has been influenced by a variety of factors. Not realizing that we were impoverished, I thought it only natural that when I wanted a gift or card to give, I simply made it. Encouraged by my mother who displayed some primitive artistic talent herself, I, from an early age, began to draw and color things I found in the world around me. Although from time to time I did risk censure from my grade school teacher in the one room school house, I began to draw at school. Sometimes bunnies and mice and airplanes seemed more important to me than did my unfinished seat work and I paid for my dallying many times. Later on in school I found books filled with the fantastic art of the masters which I many times attempted to copy. Since my unrealized talent was never viewed very seriously I was not really encouraged to pursue my dream. However, that dream was never extinguished and always remained hidden deeply in my conscious. Only after I retired did it come forth. To my utter amazement, it was still there. My art has always represented my attempt to explain the beauty of my world around me by capturing a moment in time that I could preserve into the future. Inspiration comes from many divergent sources but mostly dependent upon what I see around me and how it captures my imagination. I can look at an object one certain time and that special spark of imagination does not show itself. I may look at that same object again, from a different angle or in a different light and that mystical spark appears from nowhere and ignites within my soul. Then I am ready to paint! Deep down I imagine I make my art for myself, still trying to capture and keep that special moment in time and make it linger into the future. In a more practical vein I try to bring some enjoyment or awe into the world of those who view my art. I hope they enjoy looking at what I create, or if they do not enjoy it, at least to make them ask themselves why it was created in the first place. Of course, when I do a commission, I sincerely hope the buyer gets what they expected. Over the years other mediums, like oils, were too expensive to afford and I was given little opportunity in school to try them. I was given the chance to use watercolors, the medium of every man. From the weak colors of student watercolors and cheap paper, I eventually graduated to artist level colors and real watercolor paper. I make ample use of the different applications of watercolor, usually applying a mixture of methods and techniques to complete a painting. I strive not for the hard stark realism of the camera, but more so for the softer interpretation of what I see. I am an unabashed photographer and I take thousands of digital images a year. Some of those images will perhaps become a painting or will be used in combination with other images to create a composition that I wish to retain.