Growing up in New York, I was exposed to a great deal of Art, but it wasn't until I was 8 and living in California that I first saw something that changed everything. It took up most of the wall of the San Francisco art gallery and was a colorful, whimsical painting that looked like it was created by a child my age, and was priced for what then would've been the downpayment for a spacious home. I had never seen a Joan Miro painting before and had two immediate reactions: As a new Californian, I loved its creative freedom; but as a competitive New Yorker, I now knew what I had to beat!

In that moment, I learned the two sides of being an Artist: Appreciation for what came before; and the constant need to strive to be better!
 

- Paul Ventura