In 1982 I visited the Everglades main visitor center for the first time. I saw several display cases with glass tops. Each contained rows of really beautiful tree snail shells. I was captivated by the incredible and colorful geometric patterns on the shells. The more I studied them, the more I realized that they were the inspiration for the Seminole patchwork that I had always loved. There was also a small pamphlet of a Seminole working in a field. He wore a hat, shirt and skirt, all cone shaped and having the same geometric lines of the traditional Seminole patchwork on the hem. Bent over his hoe, he resembled a tree snail! The idea of the painting hit me then and there.