My artistic journey started with the encouragement of a dear friend. During one of her exhibitions, she sat me down with a photo, paint and paper, and told me to just paint. With guests milling around, I produced my first watercolour painting, and my passion for watercolour (and now acrylics) started. That painting is still one of my favourites, because it reminds me of my beginning and is a benchmark for my improvement over the years.