When I was 7 or 8 years old, I became fascinated with copying postage stamps. At about 11 or 12, I started copying art work that I found in magazines. My favorite artists at that time were de Chirico, Picasso, and Magritte. Influenced by these masters, I started painting original landscapes of the surrounding areas in Oregon where I lived. However, once I saw my first Ingres, my love for drawing the human form became an irrepressible force in my life.
