That’s Why I Paint!

But the thing about being a sniper, the reason I wanted to be one was not to kill people, of course. How many of my own people did I save? I will never know that but I know I did. Anyway, Al and I were given credit for wiping out that entire Chinese sniper section within three weeks. He saved my life, Al did. They did send one sniper after me and I didn’t see him, Al did. It was the fact that you were on your own and you were expected to think for yourself. After you have been in the army for a couple of years the number of rules you have to follow and some of the orders you are given are so bloody ludicrous, you know, so in this case I was answerable for myself. I loved it in a strange way.

Interviewer: It fascinates me to sit with you right here today and to be able to get such a sense of what you were seeing.

Thank you. That’s why I paint. If there is anything a painter does, its share. We are blessed or cursed with the ability to translate something into a pictorial state. That’s my language. Bottom line though is to share. So the more experiences I suppose the better a painter you are.