I felt I really wanted to back off from music completely and just work within the visual arts in some way. I started painting quite passionately at that time.

Poetry fettered fetters the human race. Nations are destroyed or flourish in proportion as their poetry painting and music are destroyed or flourish.

You can't work in the movies. Movies are all about lighting. Very few filmmakers will concentrate on the story. You get very little rehearsal time so anything you do onscreen is a kind of speed painting.

Sometimes I miss out the morning's painting session and instead study my Japanese books in the open.

Some days I would be there at ten in the morning and wouldn't leave till ten at night and the others would waltz in for a couple of hours and then leave because I was doing that painting thing. And they were happy to see that being done.

I've just finished my 20th book this past year and I'm working on my 21st book about the Middle East right now that I'll finish this year. And I get up early in the morning and when I get tired of the computer and tired of doing research I walk 20 steps out to my woodshop and I either build furniture or paint paintings. I'm an artist too.

I had some money I made the best paintings ever. I was completely reclusive worked a lot took a lot of drugs. I was awful to people.

I don't understand it. Jack will spend any amount of money to buy votes but he balks at investing a thousand dollars in a beautiful painting.

I'd asked around 10 or 15 people for suggestions. Finally one lady friend asked the right question 'Well what do you love most?' That's how I started painting money.

I love getting my nails done. My mom's best friend is a manicurist. When I was little she'd do little paintings on my nails like flowers.