People flying into Newark Airport often find it ironic that New Jersey is called the Garden State.  Through the frame of the airplane window, travelers see the factories surrounding the airport with the ribbons of highway leading into Manhattan and assume that all of New Jersey looks the same.  Residents of the Garden State know differently.  We know that we have it all: sandy beaches, mountains, farmlands, lakes, and forests.  This is the reason I have chosen my home state as the inspiration in many of my paintings.