In the 7th grade, the electives offered were art or band, and I played the flute. In eighth grade the choices were art, band, or science. Twenty-five years later, I took my first art class to balance the scientist I’d become with my urge to create artistically. Watercolor became my medium and landscapes, my main subject. Like most of us, I find solace and renewal in the natural world. Painting lets me revisit that world as I engage my senses again and notice details overlooked the first time. My goal is to enrich the sense of “being there” for others too.