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In recent years, you've developed massive recognition amongst celebrities, oftentimes incorporating them as the subject of your work. Why is that? What's the fascination? When we talk about musicians and we talk about actors, at the end of the day, they're artists themselves. The same way that I'm passionate about their movies or their music, they're passionate about my art. We live in a very small world and everyday it becomes smaller and smaller so I think that if you have a relationship with someone, and you already love them as your friend, you're attracted to what they do. I want to keep listening to my friends' music and they want to keep supporting my paintings so I think that's a fair trade [Laughs]. And if every now and then you share a kiss, that's good too. Do you ever find it difficult to balance fame and taking time to yourself to create? There's a time to show and to celebrate, and then there's time when you have to hide, concentrate and work. For me, I know how to find that balance. I try to present things that are going to be fun and that people are going to love. I like to surround myself with beauty and parties but at the same time, I can hide in my studio in New York or the Hamptons for weeks, not talk to anyone, turn off my phone and just focus. It's those times when you're out there, living, that you can get inspired and you can learn and show your work. And then there are the other times where you can explore yourself and read, research and just paint. Aside from being a painter, you're also an experienced songwriter, collaborating with artists such as the late Michael Jackson. Do you view your artistic talents as being universal, extending beyond just painting? I think as an artist if you're given the opportunity to explore other mediums, you have an obligation to just go for it and see what happens. Over the years, I've done a bit of film writing, and right now, I'm doing a lot of artwork for a new musical on Broadway that will be out soon. I like to be able to create in more ways than one. It's a challenge. You're going to be debuting a novel in July of 2017 entitled, "The Beautiful Dream of Life". What made you want to put out a book? I have always loved writing and I wanted to write a story about an artist that has all this success, but still feels an emptiness inside. But then he falls in love with this beautiful woman and one day he wakes up and that emptiness is gone, but he realizes that this woman only lives in his dreams. So it's a romantic story about an artist that is trying to find true love but struggles being in the spotlight and controlling everything that's around him. He has to make a decision about what it is that he truly wants in his life. I've had this idea in my head for over 15 years and finally had time to put it on paper with help from a friend who's an amazing writer and Simon & Schuster, of course, who loved the concept. And now here we are! Your paintings are known for toying with the idea of realism, blurring the lines between fact and fiction. Do you feel your novel does the same? In what ways does it resemble your personal life? I've always thought a lot about what's real and what's not. What's a dream and what's not a dream? It's still not clear to me, to be honest with you. Is my real life a dream or are my dreams real life? I don't know. In the book, obviously I'm talking a lot about the life of an artist which is very similar to what I'm used to because this is my life, it's been my life forever. So there's a lot of factual information and situations in there. Except for the part about the artist being tormented! [Laughs]. I am a very very happy person. I've always thought a lot about what's real and what's not. What's a dream and what's not a dream? It's still not clear to me, to be honest with you. V U E N J . C O M 71 VUE ON THE ARTS

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