For the past 25 years, Howard Behrens, the world's most renowned palette knife artist, has had a romance with the sun. From the idyllic lakes of Italy to the intimate gardens of New England, the artist has danced with her, chased her, seen her in her many different moods. Behrens' motivation comes from his strong passion to capture the "essence" of the places he visits around the world. The artist has been influenced by Monet, Van Gogh and Nicola Simbari, the Italian palette knife artist. Behrens attempts to express his love for the radiance of the sun's gifts - shadow, light, color, and the subtle nuances of these elements. Many years ago, Behrens learned that the only way he can really achieve what he feels in his paintings is to create them using a palette knife for its boldness and control of color instead of a brush.