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an artist. The artist has control over the nature of things he puts into his canvas, and I wanted to assert this right yet not destroy nature in the process. I had an idea of a tree, but nature refused to supply that tree. I had to compromise. By sacrificing a real tree in the creation of this electrified tree image, I hoped to express the problem of the artist's use of nature while opposing its destruction. I am still very much involved with this problem of nature, man, and artist. Right now, I am working on a series of plastic-wave sculpture-paintings involved with the sea that refer to this same problem.

Rosenquist has achieved an enviable professional level. His paintings are in demand, and his reputation has become firmly established. He has had highly successful one-man shows in America and in Europe and has seen his work exhibited in most of the major modern-art museums of the world.

The process of painting, of realizing the inner vision, however, remains the same. For Rosenquist, this task remains a formidable challenge.

A reality may turn me on, and I hope that my finished picture will do the same or better, but the process in between is still nerve-racking.


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