"I got an unexpected opportunity to photograph a rufous-sided towhee. He was sitting on the mirror of a car in a parking lot, fascinated by his reflection. This inspired me a lot. But the car window in the background was not what I was looking for.

"A few years later, I saw a nice black, shiny motorcycle (Harley) standing on the porch of an old house. For a background, this was ten times better than a car since, in the history of painting, so many artists have painted themselves reflected in one or another object, I did not want to miss this opportunity to paint my self-portrait in the gas tank.

"The reflection of an old farmhouse in the shiny parts of that motorcycle in beautiful Pennsylvania must tell you about my own love for rural landscapes." - Carl Brenders