I have always enjoyed solitude and this fact has played an important part in my life as an artist.  As a child, I found solitary moments to be  associated with creativity , exploration, and sometimes even  mystery and adventure. When I paint a  scene  of a child alone, I am not painting a child who is lonely. This child  is  so engulfed in daydreaming, playing or exploring, that he or she is blissfully unaware that the viewer, like a parent, is fondly sitting by her side or standing protectively behind him.