For Tony Hillerman

It would be hard to overstate the impact that the Hillerman novels have had upon me and my art. It was his unique series of mysteries that first sparked my interest and travels to the southwest, particularly A Thief of Time. I have now travelled there for more than a decade with my family. My young son now considers the southwest the place for a family vacation.

The breathtaking southwestern scenery has been the subject of so many of my paintings that I have literally lost count. I now travel out west with a brush and blank canvas in my bag, ready to capture a small piece of the landscape. It would now be almost impossible for me to separate the scenery and the art. I look forward to both the trip and the paintings that it might produce. All this from a murder mystery.

Mr. Hillerman will be greatly missed around these parts.