My grandfather oil painted for many years while I was a child and I remember being interested in art because of him.  He painted from photographs and also Plein Air.  My mother painted after us kids left the house for college, both in watercolors and oils.  With this creative legacy, I feel fortunate that it rubbed off on me.  My first paintings were during a summer college semester to get extra credit before going to Arizona State University to study photography.  I remember the instructor made the course an enjoyable experience.  Several years later I found myself painting images from meditation and my dreams (symbology); strange huh?  From there I went abstract but also painted reproductions of the Impressionist Masters.  I met an American who taught impressionist painting in France, and he invited me to attend the Leo Marchutz School of Drawing and Painting in Aix-en-Provence. In 1982 I went to France even though the school had closed due to the world recession.  I was fortunate to be amongst former students and a couple instructors during the four months I lived there, who provided some mentoring in the impressionist style.  Since then, I have continued to paint on my own with no formal education.  Just paint, paint, and paint.  I love it.