As a teenager I attended a special high school in New York, the High School of Music and Art, which offered courses in music or art along with a full academic programme. This had a profound influence on me, although at the time I had no thought of becoming an artist. Immediately after graduation (1952), I published my first book of text and illustrations, The Juggler of Our Lady. The following two decades saw me pursuing a career in illustration (with forays into graphic design). In 1978 I formed an animation studio, The Ink Tank. Among my films was a version of Igor Stravinsky’s Soldier’s Tale. Animation and illustration (especially graphic stories) have remained the two poles in my creative life. Along the way I had exhibitions of my artwork in Galerie Delpire, Paris (1968), Graham Gallery, NY (1978) and Galerie Bartsch & Chariau, Munich (1980, 1990, 1999). In 1999 I was elected to the Art Directors Hall of Fame. In 2000 my animated films were given a retrospective at the NY MoMA.