There was a certain amount of discipline, I think; my parents wanted to be sure that I was not just sitting around doing nothing.

I was painting furniture, learning to stencil, and explore all kinds of traditional techniques of decoration. I learned from books that I picked up.

At home, the radio was a big source and the classic radio programs we would listen to like Amos and Andy and whatever other ones there were.

Being born in '31 was during the Depression and in my earlier youth World War II took place - so it was not the best of times, and yet I don't recall ever having experiences that were a burden.

There was a certain amount of discipline, I think; my parents wanted to be sure that I was not just sitting around doing nothing.

Charles Burchfield was exceptional. As such an accomplished artist, he had limited previous association with academia and teaching.

One association with the arts that I vividly remember was a magazine called Normal Instructor, a teachers' magazine, that Miss George would hold up with illustrations of great artworks like [Vincent] van Gogh and Rembrandt [van Rijn].