Debbie Millman

Sai, I understand that you, as you were growing up, were an avid birder.

Tell us more about that.

I understand that you learned more than 200 bird songs.

I understand that your team, this Envirothon, you competed with your classmates, no, against your classmates to test your knowledge about soil, forestry, wildlife, aquatic ecology in a national decathlon.

And I believe that you learned much of this information during long family car rides in the countryside.

Where were you and your family traveling to?

Do you still remember the bird calls?

While you were in the car, you and your sister were also sketching and reading.

And your parents also often dropped you off at the Genora Public Library, where you spent long days exploring the stacks and rows of books.

Is that where you first became aware of the artwork of the old masters?

What first inspired you to begin copying the old masters?

You said you initially liked drawing when you were a kid because it was a skill where you could readily notice your improvement.

For sure.

Did anyone in your family at that time recognize that you had artistic talent?

There's a difference between talent and skill?

So it's evidence.

You've described your artwork at that time, some of which we can see here, as a kind of coded communication.

What were you trying to communicate that couldn't be said out loud?

So you hid that one?

Yeah.