Michelangelo, Durer, and many of the old masters had extensive training in drawing and one aspect of that training was in studying and copying paintings and ancient statues in collections of the wealthy of their day.

A major part of my early training incorporated photographic references to check how well my sight and proportions were to enhance the detail of my drawings. My instructors always encouraged me to go to the library and study the drawings of the old masters.

When I began experimenting with color I chose the subject of animals because I was interested in studying hair patterns. I collected photographs of all kinds of animals studied them and started drawing from the photos, some photos I took and some were from stock photograph books. I did a series of animals portraits to see if I could create lights and darks and an illusion of dimension with color. I realized that I really liked using color.