Q: What's the connection between painting and drumming, if there is one?

A: It’s the rhythm, stupid. That’s it. The whole universe is based in rhythm, from 13.8 billion years ago, the Big Bang, the singularity, right to your own heartbeat. To your lungs pumping. Your life with your family. It’s all rhythm: eating, sleeping, living life. We know that vibrations are essential for life. But rhythm is controlled vibrations. When I approach a canvas, I am playing.

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Q: In music, the jams can last awhile. What's your longest painting session?

A: My longest session? Well, I paint in a frenzy. It’s very intense, very centered, but focused. I’ve gone maybe a day and a half, maybe 20 hours. Maybe one 20-hour session. I go long. I love it long because it takes that long before you get behind the veil, all that stuff you hold. This is improvisational, it’s deep. . . . I’m a desperate man. I will not stop until I exhaust everything.

Q: You came to this late in life and developed into a painter. But how often do you find yourself getting rid of a painting, or does a painting not work?