THERE ARE A LOT OF BAD TEACHERS OUT THERE

I am off to London in a few days and feeling sad. My dear friend Patrick Caulfield died there last September. I will miss him. I met Patrick and his friend John Hoyland in London in 1983. They had seen my drawings on a Christmas card and after a few drinks they advised me to become a painter. I was stunned. Here were two well-known artists from Britain’s Royal Academy telling me I could have a new career! I had been producing Broadway shows for 23 years and I had just lost $950,000 in The Guys In the Truck. It was the same amount I lost in Lysistrata ten years earlier. I was ready for anything! I asked John Hoyland who I should study with.“Nobody!” said John. “There are a lot of bad teachers out there and you might get one. Stick to your own bad habits!” When I asked John why he liked my drawings he said, “They are quirky and arresting and I like their twitchy edginess. What makes your drawings really interesting is your economical and incisive use of line. It has a life of its own regardless of the subject and that is what real drawing is all about.” I decided to give painting a go.