“The paintings with spherical designs,” I remarked, “are in fact Mandalas -- archetypal spiritual symbols,” and I saw them as cosmic images, but he denied that his work had any deep meaning.                  “Painting in reverse on Plexiglas  is a technical challenge,"  he replied. " I'm  a businessman Varya, and I sell my work  the way Coco Chanel sold dresses made of unusual fabrics.”

After looking at my slides he said,   “I've had lots of shows,  but your pictures are more personal and  more expressive than mine. They remind me of the music of Sibelius.The movement is like dancing or floating...and the most effective ones are not  overcomplicated.  Do you sketch ideas before starting a painting?”                                                                                                                                                                   "It sometimes helps me to sketch ideas. You  know a lot of creative work is about selection, choosing which ideas  will succeed.  It's only the things I get right that matter to me as an artist," was my response.

And so began our friendship, and the discussions about our artwork continued even after I was diagnosed with  chemical sensitivities and could no longer paint.

It was not until much later that he recognized the emotional and spiritual nature of his art--that it was not just an "interesting technique."

But I had become sensitized to art materials and it would be many years before I was strong enough to    paint again using oil paints ground in walnut oil.

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