I can’t tell you why I started painting six years ago at 49. What I can tell you is that ten years ago I found myself wandering regularly through Salt Lake and Park City galleries -- saying more and more as time passed, "I need to do this."  When this need became an ache, I took my first class. I can also tell you that I’ve always had family art around me and am proud of  this heritage and the various influences of these painters. And having spent an enormous amount of time in pursuit of various species of fish, there was never a question what landscapes I would paint. Other influences? My friend Connie Borup for her instruction and encouragement and for her paintings’ beautiful soft edges. Wolf Kahn for his bold colors. Ovanis Berbarian for his courageous stroke. Russell Chatham for his Go For It approach to life as much as for his art. The Impressionists, of course.