Allen DeGrange has been drawing and painting since he was three years old. In the sixth grade, Allen's teacher had her students copy some paintings she had done the previous summer. She was amazed when she couldn't tell Allen's paintings from hers.

Allen formally studied art at San Jose State University and the University of California, Berkeley. His art career was sidetracked when he switched his major to architecture. Allen has worked as an architect since 1961. During this time, he has continued to paint.

Allen paints with water colors on hot-press 140-pound water-color paper laid flat, mixing the colors and using a lot of water, causing the colors to separate, enjoying the many "accident" or happenings in the painting.

As his architectural business is winding down, Allen is devoting more time to painting. "I have been painting for a long time, and I'm still learning," Allen said. "That's what makes painting so interested."