The first was Dali's Santiago El Grande at the Beaverbrook Gallery. The notoriety, scale, and perspective were awe inspiring to a pre-internet kid from a small town in rural Atlantic Canada. The second was Alex Colville's Skater - it was the shading formed from the minute brushstrokes that got me.

I had the pleasure of being able to look at Colville's Horse & Train pretty much every day when I worked at the AGH

This vase of flowers sculpted by Picasso made a impression as well. The idea that a painter with such a strong abstract style could pivot to something so different and concrete helped expand my perspective about who could make what kind of art.

Both are physically large. Santiago El Grande is 13 feet high, and Skater is almost 4 feet tall.