It's not the act of arrogance to draw, it's humbling - you must use your God-given talent. And of all the people I sketch, in most cases I feel I have to measure up to the subject.
It's a nice feeling to go out in the world and look for excellence - the best in man. My subject is very valid. It's about people, and about life.
When I paint, I seriously consider the public presence of a person - the surface facade. I am less concerned with how people look when they wake up or how they act at home. A person's public presence reflects his own efforts at image development.
Some people try to paint in my style. Some simply sell pirated copies of my work. Some claim to be my publisher or agent or even my exclusive representative, when they are not.
I can easily ignore my detractors and feel the people who respond favorably.
The people who love my paintings, that respond to them the most, they're spectators, they're not viewers.