I have been painting for over 50 years and have tried nearly every painting medium and quite a few different print media.  I most often use acrylic paint because I can make it look like an oil or a watercolor. In many ways I’m an illustrator, I paint what I see or imagine. What I enjoy most is developing a pleasing abstract composition using colors found in nature.  When it has dried, I look for what would seem natural placement of an animal or figure from nature that would complete the composition. Ultimately this produces a combination of traditional realism which makes it possible for the viewer to mentally interact with the painting. I was fortunate as a young teen to study under the Italian master painter, Oscar Sormani who taught me how to handle paint.  I also studied at Hastings College in Nebraska and the University of Wyoming. I also learned a lot from studying the old masters and paying attention to what painters around me were doing.