I think I’ve always liked to draw, painting came about in High School.  I had a friend, he was a year or two ahead of me, but also a swimmer – water polo player, which is where we met.  He was a big mormon fellow – but, as was usual in that area and time, he was pretty much a party animal.  He had a girlfriend, a year younger than me, who was really some last residual of the hippy culture.  She was/is a talented musician…12 string guitar was her specialty, but she could rock the mandolin too, and she could paint.  Not like, “I am in art class” paint – but really, super talented.  It truly was her calling, but alas, she dipped off into the land of “off the grid” for decades, and I finally lost touch with her, as she was losing touch with the world.  But she did teach me to water color.  She never really liked what I did – “too small, too technical, too confined!” – but she had a way of making me love the medium.  This is the cover of a birthday card I did, more recently, and while I don’t paint that often any more, I certainly do like it when I’m in the mood.