Chris Saper, Sr Moderator

[Chris Saper]

Upon entering college as an art major - University of Wisconsin, 1970 - I faced what I still think most university art majors continue to face: an emphasis, or in my case, a reverence for non-representational, shock-value, be-here-now (well, maybe that was just a 70's thing) art, with precious few instructors representationally oriented. Nonetheless, it was marvelous time to come of age, given that the Army-Math Research Building had just been bombed (remember the Armstrong brothers?), the campus was rife with Vietnam protests, and students had to be ready for tear gas at any given time.

Four years later, I thought I had better figure out how to earn a living, and took up a Master's Degree in Hospital Administration at the University of Missouri, moved west to Phoenix after graduation, and worked in the health care field for the next 17 years.

My first child was born in 1989, the rat had run its race (it won...if it has ever lost, someone please let me know), and I began building a business plan to transition into portraiture. And here we are.

There is not a day that goes by that I fail to appreciate this wonderful work. And I know every one of you feels the same.