I believe in painting what I see as beautiful or symbolic. I also like to paint my dreams. This painting entitled “Gumball Lady” is one that is of great significance to me personally. On a trip to St. Kitts a few years ago I found myself stepping on to the streets from the boat and completely taken aback by a most poetic scene; before me set an amazing story all in one glimpse.

I stepped off the boat and an older lady was sitting on the street with jars of gumballs. For several days I was unable to remove the image from my head. It was in St. Kitts that I began to sketch the image. It was as if this old lady was some kind of ambassador for the island. When I returned home and began to paint in oil on a canvas. I found that the gumballs in all their bright colors took on greater significance. Thinking back on the scene now I am struck by how closely tied the many colors were to the diversity of customers piling off the boats day after day. I wondered if she noticed that one ethnic group purchased one color over another.

As an artist, it is hard to pin down what really inspires me. Many times it is only in retrospect that I have full scope and see clearly what it all means. I placed the final painting in a fine European frame.