I take my hat off to Thomas Duke and Gayle Boss for the beautifully written book about Audley Dean Nicols. Nicols will forever be the founding father of the El Paso School of the “Purple Mountain Painters”. His influence on Southwest artists is unprecedented. My friend, the late Early El Paso artist Eugene Thurston, always mentioned Nicols as someone he respected and strived to emulate. Nicols set the bar for desert and plein air painters, teaching us to see the desert as never before – with beauty and grace. Through these investigative writings and color reproductions, not only do we get a better understanding of Nicols’ art, but also glimpses into the man, the profoundly dedicated artist. We owe so much to Nicols! As an El Paso Artist, art dealer, and collector I am ever so grateful for this book. I feel I am living inside of one of his desert landscapes! submitted by Hal Marcus