When I was 22 years old I was fortunate enough to spend a summer studying under British painter John Walker at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine. I remember one warm afternoon I was talking to him and I was trying to get as much knowledge from him as I could possibly absorb. I was learning so much with each day that passed. I felt myself shifting from being a student to a "painter". During our conversation he turned to me and said "do you want all the answers?" Of course I said yes! He looked me in the eye and said "go to your studio and paint!'' He was not trying to end our talks but instead point me in a direction that few people go.
That summer I found a structure that I have built my whole life on. One of extreme discipline and unwavering passion. I have kept that discipline up for over 23 years. Never letting anything stop me. No matter how hard it got. I remember John telling me that he once drew all of Goya's etchings to keep his eye sharp. I still can hear him saying the words that cut through like no other. "Painting... it's a lonely life."
But what a life it is. After all my years of very hard work I feel like I am finally hitting my stride. Seeing so much more than I ever have. Still learning every day. Still having the passion and the need to make. Never ever stopping. It is exciting and I can hardly wait for each day to start so I can see where I will go next.