I was 12 when I started painting with oils. I didn't have any money to speak of, so I bought a tube of Burnt Umber, a package of canvas boards, a can of turpentine, some cheap hog bristle brushes and a table top easel and I went to town. With that one color, I learned what value and paint manipulation was all about. I stuck with that one color for three years and slowly added color to my paintings. To date, I've done more than 500 paintings and it's highly unusual if I don't get first place when I enter my work in an exhibit. Practice makes the master.
