When the subject is strong, simplicity is the only way to treat it.

Our homes were very decorative, full of pattern, like inexpensive throw rugs. It must have had some influence, all this color and everything. Because we were so poor the people used this as a means of brightening their life. I used to do bright patterns after these throw rugs; I got ideas from them, the arabesques, the movement and so on.

I would describe my work as expressionist. The expressionist point of view is stressing your own feelings about something.

I think we've been pleased that they've been responsive to our concerns. But at the same time, we're not positive they'll always have our best interests in mind.

The other concern was the nature of the land back there, which was just sort of a forest. There's concern over [the developer] just leveling everything and clear-cutting it.

Simplicity has the most complicated structure of all human fabrics