Imagination Comes Of Not Having Things.

But 'playboy' Was Liberating. I Was Drawn To It And Went For It Full Throttle.

It Has Been Difficult To Hold Onto Many Paintings But I Have Retained A Few. Possibly The Current Favorite Is Titled 'big Band' Completed In 2005. It Measures 13 Feet X 9 Feet. It Has 18 Nearly Life Size Recognizable Portraits Of The Biggest Jazz Stars That I Knew And Saw Perform In The 1950s, '60s, '70s, '80s And Includes Wynton Marsalis.

Throughout My Life, Cigars Have Played Different Roles For Me. They Fit Easily And Well In The Various Stages And Experiences Ive Had -- Like A Companion, Almost. If Youve Smoked A Long Time, As I Have, They Become Part Of You.

When I Paint, I Seriously Consider The Public Presence Of A Person - The Surface Facade. I Am Less Concerned With How People Look When They Wake Up Or How They Act At Home. A Person's Public Presence Reflects His Own Efforts At Image Development.

No, I Never Had Any Dreams. The Process Of Art Is A Dream In Itself. The Artist Just Doesn't... You Work Out Something. It's Yours. You Don't Have To Go To Sleep To Do That. You Do That On The Canvas.