"Tell me how you started painting."

Viv said it loud, because the venue was so noisy.

Viv stood in front of a few pieces, arms crossed, while she intently studied them.

"These came from some ideas I had after I studied wood block printing" the artist replied.

"I can tell... but that's not what I asked. How did you start painting, or making art generally?"

The artist frowned. He said he didn't understand what she meant.

Viv went on. "How did you start painting though?"

The artist took a step back, and Viv stepped closer. "Do either of your parents paint?"

After he just stared at her, Viv went on. "I'll tell you why I'm asking. I can see a lot of technical skill. But that's all over this room." And at this point she waved at the other exhibitors.

"You've developed a style, and redeveloped it, at least a few times now, each time, going almost back to the beginning."

"I want to know how long you had to work on all those reinventions. How did you study."

Viv held up the flier that had a few sentences about each artist. "This says you grew up in Ehime, but what did your family do there?"