I was born in Nashville, Tennessee shortly after midnight on July 4, 1952. I spent a rather idyllic childhood living in the country near Macon, Georgia where I started drawing at the age of about seven, got my first oil painting set at about ten and, sometime in-between, saw an exhibition of Leonardo da Vinci's engineering exploits. I was sold. I was going to be an artist. During high school, I attended a college preparatory boarding school with an extensive art program and was able to pursue my interest in art, including painting. From there I went to...more