Two men shaped my early career: the painter Gregory Amenoff and sculptor/dealer John Raimondi. Greg hired me as his studio assistant, supported my work, and got me a gallery job when I was desperate for income. In that same gallery, I met my future wife and had my New York solo debut. His family became mine at a time when I was homesick for South Carolina. Greg also introduced me to one of my best friends, who has championed my work for over twenty-five years, John Raimondi. If Greg is the Empire State Building, then Johnny is the Chrysler Building, each one of a kind. Johnny owns more of my work than anyone else and has placed my paintings in major public and private collections. He has the best eye I’ve ever encountered and an encyclopedic knowledge of twentieth-century art, and he showed me how to navigate the art world. Greg and Johnny are the big brothers I never had. Both men have been at my side for every important event in my life and career. Most of us are lucky if we get one skyscraper in a lifetime. I got two.