Judson Church was a very important place because they believed in art. They also took care of drug addicts. Without the Judson, nothing could have happened.

The main reason for the colossal objects is the obvious one, to expand and intensify the presence of the vessel - the object.

I knew I had to take my ambition more seriously, so I enrolled at the Art Institute of Chicago. Then, in the fall, I went on a tour of my own. I didn't go to New York because that was too well known for its art scene.

The sexual is part of everything, and it's highly formalized. I hadn't done figure for a long time. And I thought to myself, "Why not the erotic figure?"

The art world was very small and the people got together at parties. There was less commercialism.

Actually, New York is great for playing around. I made a lot of studies for New York-a big vacuum cleaner lying on the Battery in Manhattan.

I started to draw buildings. I called them Proposed Colossal Monuments - they weren't for real, not for actual building. It was more a critique of architecture.