In 1989 I had an abrupt and temporary break from this
type of painting. In the fall we took a trip to Russia. Maya was
acting onstage there and Gay, Mischa (daughter #2), Budge (Gay's
mother) and I joined an accompanying tour. I found myself loving,
among other things, areas of crumbling architecture. Shortly after
our return I went to work as a model maker for a friend, Doug Trumbull,
on a special effects movie/ride he was making for Universal Tours:
"Back to the Future, the Ride." My job, for which I had
no training and no clue, was to create a massive environment of
sculpted cinder pyres for a 12 foot high Tyrannosaurus Rex. My exposure
to unusual (and toxic) foams and plastics coupled with the walls
of Russia gave birth to the relief paintings.
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