The subject matter in much of my work requires me to capture movement and moments with photography.  Photos alone though, do not provide enough information for all that I want to convey in a painting.  Life studies are extremely helpful.  During work on the Waterplay series, I spent hours sitting by fountains and lakeside making sketches. The imagery becomes indelible when I can remember the feeling of wind driven spray, lit water droplets and 90 degree temps. 

A favorite memory was of a young girl who ran up and with her jubilant voice and said, "Paint me!"

Is it possible that while we were young, we knew more about the nature of God than we do as adults?  Did we sense His delight in us as He watched us play and explore His creation?  As we age, do we unlearn what we once dared to believe?

I sat down with a pad of paper and a few pieces of pastel to quickly capture the gestures of children at a city fountain.  They would run through the spray, many in their street clothes, becoming immersed in the water.  Most parents, including me, sat along the side at safe distance, out of the splash zone, remaining warm and dry.  I wondered, is there more than we now see with our eyes at play; something that children are responding to beyond cooling water on a hot day?