One of the illustrations I exhibited twenty-nine years ago at Westport West Gallery in Kansas City

       Mark English is the most awarded illustrator in the history of the Society of Illustrators in New York. In the 1980s Mark and his ex-wife Peggy owned and ran Westport West Illustration Gallery and it featured the work of America's best illustrators, people like Bernie Fuchs, Bart Forbes, Bob Peak, and Alan Cober. For some reason they included me too, though I had very little on my resume. Mr. English asked me to lunch and I almost got sick from nerves. He said my work was fantastic. I'm sure I responded with something self-effacing. He said: I hope that you don't learn so much that it ruins what you already have. I'll never forget that. I think he meant don't let technique smother instinct. Here is one of the pieces I exhibited there in 1982.