"Lava pools, California" Painting

Art was not my vocation; it was always my avocation. My parents, being products of the Great Depression, did not steer me or support me in making art the center of my working life. It was a hobby to them, a passion to me. I do not want to suggest that my parents did not see the value of the arts. My mother made sure that we went to plays. My parents had classical music in our home. We had reproductions of the art masters and had some pieces of original art. My mother was an avid paint-by-number person. So, I did do what I could with the full support of my wife and children. I was a member of the Utah Watercolor Society. I participated in juried shows and displayed in galleries. As the years went on, however, with school, marriage, family, and work, I set my art aside at times. However, I would have to return to it for meaning, joy, and sanity even if in reduced doses. I like to create. Fortunately, my vocation, designing software for use in patient care, also afforded a creative life. Now, however, my time can more fully be given to art and I feel a need to explore it in the time I have.