I started school at Highland College in 1969. I'd never had any art instruction prior to this other than gluing macaroni to construction paper. I was amazed at what I encountered in Walter Yost. As time went on, I never ceased to be amazed at his brilliance. I was eager for any knowledge he imparted. He showed me "old world" processes that most artists don't know about. I learned more from him that I could have ever imagined.

When I went on to Kansas State University in 1971, I was a little concerned that I was going to have trouble since I hadn't had any art training other than my two years with Yost. I was pleased to find that I was light years ahead of the other students who'd experienced many years of art classes through high school. In my second year there, I found myself imparting much of the old world information I'd gotten from Yost to several of the art instructors--all of whom seemed astounded that they had never heard any of this information and they wanted to hear more.

To this day, I find myself calling on the things I learned from Yost. I also remember every day of studying under him with fondness. He was so very encouraging to me as well as to every student he ever had there. While I was at Highland College, friends of mine, Janet Neibling, Dean Wenger, Max Lloyd, Nancy Noll and I initiated the very first Spring Art Show at Highland in 1970. Yost was very supportive of this and I remember his philosophy on art shows which was that there should never be art contests or art judging. I think he was as right as he could be with this and I remember this often.

If anyone ever deserved to have a building and art gallery named after him, it was Yost. I feel very privileged and honored to have been invited to exhibit at Yost Gallery. When I was at Highland, Yost promised me a painting show in Nashville if I continued painting after college. Time got tight and I just didn't have the time to paint and that show never happened. So I consider this exhibit of my work at Yost Gallery to be as valuable to me as that show would have been.