Jay firmly believes that an artist is an amalgam of artists who have come before him, "A musician can't lock himself in a room and become Mozart all on his own.  You need that push and that inspiration from other artists to get you to go further in your own work.  It's  like a big tree -- each influence takes you to another branch, then another and another until you are your own little twig, your own part of the tree."

Although he feels he hasn't even scratched the surface of possible paintings in Colorado, Jay travels all over the West and into Canada on his excursions.