Why an Artist?

Interviewer: I am going to go back to the beginning because I am very curious myself as to how this whole idea of artwork began for you.

I guess I would have to go all the way back to being a child. If I couldn’t find the words I would draw a picture of it. I found it was so immediate. If I drew a picture it didn’t have to be drawn all that well, people realized, ya, it’s an apple, it’s not an orange. Little differences you could make with this. So I learned very young to express myself with a pencil or a pen and ink. I remember in school I was, in the old days you used to get the strap for almost anything, of course, I think it was one winter I got the strap eleven times because of the drawing I had on all my books. In Korea, I did some drawing while I was in Korea. I was engaged unofficially as an artist in Korea to do a series of drawings of various positions and that was unofficial of course. It’s funny I came home and I think I was telling a story to someone and I forgot a certain point. I thought oh my God if I am beginning to forget this stuff, I then realized I had to commit it to canvas. And once it started it wouldn’t stop and as a matter of fact I am still doing it. After all these years. I am in the process of another painting right now. It’s depicting me and that Korean who died beside me in the regimental aid post. It was a very spooky place. It was only one kerosene lamp burning. The medical officer yelled at the corporal who was working on the Korean, the two of us were on the floor on a stretcher on the floor and his whole chest was blown away. He was still alive but he wasn’t conscious. And the corporal went to work on him and the captain I think it was, the medical officer yelled at him and said, “You handle our own people first!” I remember the look on the face of the corporal. He sort of apologized with the facial expression and he went to work on me. But minutes later the fellow beside me died. Couldn’t have saved him anyway, you know. Anyway that’s the next one I am doing. It won’t leave me alone.