As a child, I enjoyed art, but stopped pursuing it when I became convinced that I had no talent. For years I believed this, although, in my late teens, I made a few sketches. When I was 27 years old, I became interested in art again, and when I saw the oil paintings that my sister had done, I knew what I wanted to do. My first attempt was almost my last. The Ultramarine Blue got all over my hands, and I had a mess. Now, I can laugh at the frustration!

So what do I paint? At this time, I’m into scenes of Natchitoches and other Louisiana places and people. In the past few years, I’ve painted scenes from Louisiana, Texas, Colorado, and other states. Sometimes, I’ll set up a still life and paint that. It may be fruit, flowers, or whatever else strikes me. Once I painted abundant fruit with an Israeli camel behind the bowl, which was also from Israel. People didn’t understand why I inserted the camel; I suppose that’s understandable on their part.. I’ve tackled everything from realism to impressionist to abstract.

For most of my “art life,” I have been a self-taught artist. I have now had art courses at a local university. I used to think that by not taking formal art courses, I could be more orginal. How could I have been so naive? These teachers and the courses they teach have opened doors in my mind that I didn’t know existed. Everything we do changes us in one way or another. Even though I now realize that God has given me an artistic flair, I also know that I’ll have room for improvement until I die. If I could just live to be 200, I would have time to become the most magnificent artist ever!