The View Of Life I

I Used To Sit In The Studio With A Copy Of The (saturday Evening) Post Laid Across My Knees ... And Then I'd Conjure Up A Picture Of Myself As A Famous Illustrator And Gloat Over It, Putting Myself In Various Happy Situations, Surrounded By Admiring Females, Deferred To By Office Flunkies At The Magazines, Wined And Dined By The Editor.

I Can Take A Lot Of Pats On The Back. I Love It When I Get Admiring Letters From People. And, Of Course, I'd Love It If The Critics Would Notice Me, Too.

Some People Have Been Kind Enough To Call Me A Fine Artist. I've Always Called Myself An Illustrator. I'm Not Sure What The Difference Is. All I Know Is That Whatever Type Of Work I Do, I Try To Give It My Very Best. Art Has Been My Life.

Without Thinking Too Much About It In Specific Terms, I Was Showing The America I Knew And Observed To Others Who Might Not Have Noticed. My Fundamental Purpose Is To Interpret The Typical American. I Am A Story Teller.

The Remarks About My Reaching The Age Of Social Security And Coming To The End Of The Road, They Jolted Me. And That Was Good. Because I Sure As Hell Had No Intention Of Just Sitting Around For The Rest Of My Life. So I'd Whip Out The Paints And Really Go To It.