The objects and buildings that people before us have made or used, hold a story and style unique to them. Old buildings fascinate me because they are all that is left when people pass away.  When the buildings then are gone, it is like the memory and mark and all the hard work of the people who lived, played and worked there is gone forever as well.  Therefore, I see a lot of beauty in old buildings and antique objects.  When I see something beautiful or inspiring and I have an “ah-ha!” moment, I usually want to capture that with paint so I can share it with others.  The challenge was always how to do it.   I used to think that I had to learn how to draw each object separately, with some long-studied technique, and then apply that knowledge to what I see.  However, I since learned that everything that I see already has inherent in it all the information that I need to draw or paint it.  The key is in really “seeing” and observing exactly what I see and learning how to express this with a visual language through paint.  So, now, in order to simplify things, I say to myself, “If I can see it, then I can paint it”.  That phrase helps me feel empowered and confident enough to express the world that I see around me through paint, color, and light so I can share the beauty that I see and maybe give someone else an “ah-ha!” moment. If I can get someone to appreciate and see in a new light to appreciate and preserve the subtly amazing historical and natural resources in our precious environment which are silently disappearing, then I would feel like I have helped to pass on our collective humanity in a positive way.