Fascinated with images from abroad, I carried my camera everywhere. My initial use of the photographs were to use them as reference for painting. Many people who saw the photographs asked me why I hadn't submitted to to art shows. The result was I did. While I still use my photographs for painting references, I find the photographs themselves are just as important as the paintings. It's like knowing two different languages. While I have used the images for painting, they are clearly different. My paintings can have less than a photograph, or more things that aren't in the photograph. It's fun to be able to create the right kind of image that looks good by itself and can also be changed for a painting.