On January 3, 2014, Rena Victorian Easton, sent me a four page letter and several poems, from Bozeman Montana. I may have received this letter on 6th. but did not remove it from my mailbox till the 9th. In 1971 I began a large painting of Rena, and called her grandmother in Grand Island to get a phone number for Rena so I could ask her for a photo of her profile. Rena happened to be home from college, and we spoke. I received a photo Rena took about a week later.

When I showed a photo of the finished portrait to my late sister, Christine Rosamond Benton, she was inspired to take up art. Overnight she was world-famous. She offered to teach me her style that was developed by Ira Cohen who owned Ira Roberts Gallery in LA. Not wanting to be seen as a commercial artist, I turned…