Dialogues with Creative Legends and Aha Moments in a Designer’s Career, First Edition

1. Teachers

In my childhood hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, lives Mr. A. Reynolds Morse, a successful entrepreneur and one of Salvador Dalí’s most devoted patrons. His home and factory are crowded with his growing collection of Dalí paintings, which Morse opens to the public. My mother is lukewarm about Dalí, but nevertheless feeds my interest in art with occasional visits to study the artist’s oeuvre. (Morse’s collection will later be donated to form the Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida.) I ask for paints so I can emulate Dalí’s work and life.

At age 17, I see an advertisement for the first issue of Avant Garde magazine. The inclusion of an ...