Even at an early age, art in general was a huge influence on my life. I would see great artworks of the old masters: Rembrandt, Da Vinci, Jean-August Domonique Ingres, to the new masters: David Sheperd, Robert Bateman, Alan Hunt and Paul Calle.In complete awe I would say to myself "One day I want to paint and draw like that!" Inspiration like this, was and still is the key motivator for me and our future artists. I believe creative realism is the height of any artistic endeavor, no matter which medium it is conveyed in. To re-create that moment and that window for us to look into and admire the will, effort and the talent, from a simple sketch to an in-depth painting, is a path only few will travel. Realism in art is a preservation of what was and what can be along with the power it produces, to make us all realize how fragile our environment really is.