In 1981, I made a lasting connection to Maine at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture while earning my BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.  I also traveled out to Monhegan that summer. These experiences were exhilarating, leading me to return to Maine to paint for a decade of summers, traveling up from NYC to use a former Odd Fellows Hall as my studio in Mount Vernon.  Extending my time in Maine to paint was the catalyst for winning a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant and the impetus for becoming a full time resident in 1995.