A NOTE FROM THE ARTIST ABOUT MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUE: "Most paintings are done with acrylics, primarily using a foam brush instead of a paint brush. Sometimes I use spray enamel for the backgrounds using stems, leaves, and petals as my pattern. Less frequently, I play with oils. My inspiration comes from things that grow and evolve -- flowers, trees, and the city in which I was born and raised, Pittsburgh -- because that's me! I have been growing and evolving since I started painting for the first time several years ago. "