I grew up in the suburbs of NYC in a family who loved the outdoors. My father was an avid naturalist, hunter, fisherman, gardener, photographer and amateur self-taught artist. He always had us (I’m the youngest of 5) walking in the woods, teaching us to identify flora and fauna. We loved fishing the local lakes and streams and I especially remember fabulous fishing trips to the Adirondacks, Maine and Canada.

One day when I was about 7, I wanted to go fishing at our lake but didn’t have a rod. Undeterred, I made one using a wooden stick from a pinwheel, some white packaging string and a hook pilfered from my brother’s tackle box. I dug worms for bait. My 5 year old friend and I walked the mile or so down to the lake and decided on a spot. I baited the hook, dropped the “line” into the water and literally, within seconds, I felt a tug and pulled out a 12” largemouth bass! I was so excited that I ran home carrying the bass in my hands! That started my obsession with fishing as a kid and I became quite good at it! While I don’t get to fish as much as I’d like, I still enjoy it whenever possible.

The same sort of impulse came over me with painting. One day I wandered into an art store and felt inspired to buy a set of water colors, brushes and paper. I had always enjoyed drawing and having majored in science, I would sketch field notes here and there. I looked in my pond life pocket guide for inspiration and settled on the yellow perch. When I finished the painting, I was surprised it came out as well as it did. I didn’t know how I did it and was afraid I could never do it again but tried anyway. I painted the bluegill then the catfish and so on. I tried more things, birds, chipmunks, even landscapes, but mainly nature subjects familiar to me. For years I’ve been prompted to share the images so I tested the market by making copies and selling them framed. They were a big hit so I decided to do the cards.

Thank you for your purchase and I hope my story will inspire you to just try! You never know what can happen!

Nora Fay
Stamford, CT