Weekly: When did you begin to study your art?

RS: Other than doing a lot of childhood art and cartooning during WW II and after, I started stuying art seriously at the University of Washington Art School in 1958.  Later I studied watercolor with William Brooks, a prominent artist in the northwest in the 1970s.

Weekly: Why did you choose your art?

RS: I chose watercolor originally due to its unpredictable and potentially explosive nature.  It guaranteed some great surprises; and I was good at it, winning several art show awards.

Weekly: Who influenced your art?

RS: My biggest influences were William Brooks, Robert Rauschenberg and the northwest’s great Kenneth Callahan.

Weekly: If you had to choose another art, what would it be and why?

RS: If I had to choose another art form, it would be printmaking (monoprints) or ceramic sculpture.  I want to try them both; it’s hard to choose.  You can probably guess I want to try practically everything.