Just as Craig Ferguson asks at the end of his late night show, "What have you learned tonight Craig?" after blogging about my paintings I, too, have learned more about my work. I have discovered that the circle is a very important element in my work. I enjoy painting pine trees because of the gestural quality of the lines used to create them. I like winter more than the other seasons because winter permits me to show more structurally. I enjoy using subjective colors as opposed to local color. If my painting is a narrative it is often influenced by experiences of my youth. I find work that attempts to imitate, precisely, images that I have seen to be a stressful adventure. While I admire the technical skill of the photo realist, my first response is "it looks just like a photograph". Beyond the technical skill,what has the artist brought to his work? Painting a commission makes me very nervous. Seldom are thoughts of the patron removed from my decision making process. I have learned a great deal with a great deal more to learn.