“I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.” -John Muir

Plans to go outside with my painting class collapsed during a monsoon spring in Mississippi. The project was about reflection, in windows, auto hubcaps, puddles, each other’s shoes; that EVERYTHING REFLECTS. Seeking but not finding the daystar for two months, I asked each student to bring such diverse objects into the studio, in case it you-know-whats. As the *$%#!@?*! deluge persisted, we gathered the objects, making a monolith of world reflectivity. Lighting all with colored spots, I photographed the eye feast as students composed and drew. When I developed my photos of objects I never would have chosen, stunning new vistas slapped me in the suddenly porous “I think I know” zone. I scrambled together more unlikely reflectors and “reflectees”. The watercolor series “New Dimensions” (1988), my first one-person show at Albers Fine Art Gallery in Memphis, TN tumbled out.

To note, Kathy Albers, my gallery director from 1988 to 2004 (Albers Fine Art Gallery, Albers Fine Art, Memphis, TN), was my “Stieglitz”. She exemplified the highest standard in the fine art world that I have encountered. She cared deeply for the state of art in the world, the mission of a gallery to take care of her stable of artists (to make a living for them!), and the building of a cultural community- of artists, collectors and institutions. Under her wing for over twenty-five years, Kathy represented Burton Callicott, Dolph Smith, Iris Harkavy, Walter Anderson, and many others that I am honored to be mentioned among.