Flowers lead to books, which lead to thinking and not thinking and then more flowers and music, music. Then many more flowers and many more books.

I said to myself, how could anyone not have illustrated this before?

The Elements of Style.

I started looking at it, ... and I thought, 'Oh my God, this is like Gertrude Stein wrote this book.' It's so funny and so eccentric. The imagery was so clear that I knew immediately that I was going to illustrate it.

I like Thomas Jefferson, though he intimidated me. I thought he would have been very tough to be around. I don't know if he had such a sense of humor.

I don't listen to the news. I don't read the newspaper unless it's eccentric information - and the obituaries, of course.