In my ‘past life’, I studied architecture and took art classes. I was an architect. With architecture, I had to collect materials and many tools to convey my thoughts in a visual way. The camera, for me, was the best tool to use. The camera captured – ‘the moment’, be that sports, or history, or local towns and buildings, or landscapes and/or everything in between. I loved Kodachrome slides and monochrome Kodak film.

I collect photographs from the hikes I take, especially around the southwest, the deserts and National Parks. For my mural, I chose one photograph I took nine years ago in Page, AZ in Antelope Canyon. I have vivid memories of my hike there in the slot canyon . It was unbelievable. I wanted to remember it and that’s why I use the camera – to reinforce my memory. I transferred what I saw and captured in the camera onto a hard surface and then enlarged it onto the plywood panels using acrylic paint. I chose to render it in a graphic design style or an abstraction.

__

I am a Stroke Survivor, evolving as a (simple intermediate) artist. I have aphasia from my stroke, a condition that affects my speech. After my stroke, nearly six years ago, it first took seven or eight months to fully understand my ‘condition’ and to ‘start-over’. It took a few more months, to collect my thoughts and my tools to start my ‘new life’. Now, I’m using my new Mantra: “Enjoy life visually, less verbally”, and practice it. I’m trying to ‘walk the walk’, because I can’t ‘talk the talk’.