CHAPTER FIVE — FORMATIVE YEARS

I felt an amazing amount of freedom growing up on a farm. When the weather was nice, most of my time was spent outdoors communing with nature, expanding my creativity. The vast amount of land I was able to explore was like living in a “world of fun” park—life was never boring.

During summer months, I remember waking up and looking out the window to see what the weather was—if I saw sun, I threw on some clothes, ran downstairs, dashed through the front screen door, skipped the front outdoor steps, and dashed off to go exploring! Freedom!

The next twenty-five paintings highlight the simplicity of my early life from birth to high school graduation.