When I was in my teens, and an aspiring artist, Georgia O'Keefe was a huge influence.  The photographs that Steiglitz took of her gave me a glimpse of  the life and person of  woman painter, something to emulate. Her skull paintings have been an influence throughout my career.  Untill recently I never would have attempted to paint a skull.  O 'Keefe's paintings of skulls are icons.  Any painting of a skull that I might attempt would be seen as an imitation.  Georgia O' Keefe owns the image .

I am at a point today where  I have my own vision and style   Still life painting has enabled me to create a dialogue about art and the interior that leads me in my own direction. I have a collection of elk skulls that I have been longing to paint, but the shadow of Georgia O Keefe hanging over the image has held me back.

My reasons  now are my own and her influence has become a stumbling block.
I think that its time to step over and do some skull painting of my own.