I grew up on a mining town in a very young British Colony. There were no museums, art galleries, or even artists to influence my artistic outlook. By the time I left junior school at age twelve, I had had some small exposure to British artists such as Constable and Gainsborough. Perhaps because of the lack of these artistic facilities, my outlook and tastes are limited. I still do not understand or appreciate the appeal of van Gogh, Picasso, or Jackson Pollack, etc. Since starting to paint professionally, I have concluded that tonal values in a painting are as important, if not more so, than...