I began painting birds as a twelve-year-old. My initial paintings were copies of photos or attempts at capturing something I'd seen in the field, such as this first rather squat depiction (1) of an owl I'd seen in the Elburn Forest Preserve where they nested. Aching to refine my understanding of birds and art, at the age of about 16 I encountered the work of Louis Agassiz Fuertes, whose paint of a great horned owl mesmerized me in its economy with watercolor and its anatomical grasp of the bird. (2) In high school, I copied that painting by flipping it in reverse. (3) and put a blue jay under its talons. During my first year at Luther College, I had access to bird skins, and there were ruffed grouse in Decorah, Ia, so I did both a pen-and-ink drawing (4) and a watercolor in the same pose shown, and the watercolor was sold. That painting found its way out to California. Three years ago a woman snatched it up where she found it in an alleyway after the couple who bought it from me at Luther got divorced. She said that she had to fight people off to get the painting. Then, she looked me up on the Internet, and called to ask if I wanted it back. I told her, "No, you've earned it. Please enjoy it." A few years ago, I painted an acrylic of a great horned owl in the bluff country of Decorah. That painting (5) hangs in a friend's home along with several other works they collected from me over the years. It show a far more natural pose than my earlier efforts, as it's based off my own photography. But notice that it still echoes the Fuertes' economy I've always appreciated. The last image (6) represents my full growth as an wildlife artist combining years of experience with a touch of respect for another artist I admire, Robert Bateman. I made a point of depicting the patterns found in the owl's face and body with those found on the aging bur oak on which I saw it perched. You can see a hint of the moss growing on the north side of the tree, and the bird "in place" is what I most value about painting birds these days. This series illustrates one person's journey from novice birder to one who tries to appreciate and present nature in its beautiful complexity and relationships. How do you think I've done?