In Mexico this winter of 2008, I had painted about ten canvasses, yet none of them satisfied me. I became more and more disgruntled because I was painting landscapes without any heart in them, so I took one of them and just started painting it over. My spirits rose as the landscape disappeared into a declicious field of color and a half-articulated misty figure arose, apparently standing, like an actor or poet, at a podium. The mystery of it intrigued me.

I thought to myself: this is either a fluke or I've made a breakthrough into a new direction. As the days passed, several more of this type of painting emerged. So: no fluke at all. It is not that I will give up painting either the figure or the landscape--I love both too much, but they may appear in this fashion for a while until I break, once again, into new territory. This is my faith: to always learn, to keep a "beginner's mind" in all of my art!