"The Wise Man" is truly one of my "Oldies but Goodies," dating back to 1975. The idea came to me after a visit to an art museum where I explored the works of Rembrandt and Picasso. I instantly had the idea for a painting of a wise old man whose head was filled with knowledge, but whose heart was merely an empty room. It was inspired by my disillusionment with the public school systems. I felt that they put too much emphasis on (useless) knowledge and not enough thought into life and emotions. It is an art to live life to its fullest, gaining as much knowledge as you can but also having the emotions to understand what you have learned.