Taking off in my airplane I see its shadow on the fields below
moving briskly across the surface of the earth falling farther and farther away.
Houses and horses grazing also have shadows, but they are standing on them, attached.
I am an observer, alone in my own world with my own view.
Birds stream by on their own wing power.  They are clearly having fun.
I am propelled by gasoline and aerodynamics and my own control of this miraculous machine.
There is a similar thrill in guiding a paintbrush loaded with watercolor over paper,  or a stick of pastel;
a balancing of tools with suspense.
But painting and drawings are illusions, and flying is real.
And an illusion can be stretched and shaped to fit my message.
It is the most fun in the world for me to take my experiences and translate them into pictures.
Each person has their own way to observe and express,
and this is mine.

Lonni Sue Johnson, Planet News