My family says I began drawing as a preschooler. Because my parents owned a custom picture framing shop and art gallery, materials were always available, and my brothers and sister and I were always encouraged to experiment with paint, paper, cardboard, crayons and chalk. My mother used to tape down long sheets of brown paper the length of our kitchen floor, and we all went to town drawing and painting on them. Artists frequently stopped at our house and drew with us, too. My mother regularly loaded us into our old station wagon and took us to the library where we took out so many children's books she had to make lists to remember them all.
Drawing is like breathing.
I can't do without either. I have to say I've led a very interesting and diverse life as a writer, teacher, dancer, mountain climber, skier, sailor, photographer, environmentalist, speaker and bicycle traveler. I've cycled over 100,000 miles on six continents, including Antarctica. Take Your Base . Each year in the U.S., two million children lose their fathers to heart attacks, cancer or accidents.