I Work Like A Gardener.

I Begin Painting And As I Paint The Picture Begins To Assert Itself, Or Suggest Itself, Under My Brush. The Form Becomes A Sign For A Woman Or A Bird As I Work... The First Stage Is Free, Unconscious... The Second Stage Is Carefully Calculated.

That Which Interests Me Above All Else Is The Calligraphy Of A Tree Or The Tiles Of A Roof, And I Mean Leaf By Leaf, Branch By Branch, Blade By Blade Of Grass.

For Me, A Painting Must Give Off Sparks. It Must Dazzle Like The Beauty Of A Woman Or A Poem.

Poetry And Painting Are Done In The Same Way You Make Love; It's An Exchange Of Blood, A Total Embrace - Without Caution, Without Any Thought Of Protecting Yourself.

The Painting Rises From The Brushstrokes As A Poem Rises From The Words. The Meaning Comes Later.