Yes, it is all true. I don't know why I decided to create this peculiar little gallery other than I find it highly amusing in a pathetic kind of way. However when I was a young teen, I saw "Funny Girl" for the very first time. I was instantly hooked. She belted out to the world "I'm the Greatest Star" and I believed her every word. Not only was I mesmerized by her vocal abilities, acting and comedic timing, but even more so, I became convinced that Barbra had one of the most artistically beautiful and sculptured faces to ever grace the planet. I was in awe. I never looked at it as though to believe or even consider that I was infatuated or had a childhood crush. I couldn't really explain it. I distinctly recall seeing my first Barbra album (yes, there were vinyl LP's back then). My mother had promised that I could purchase a new record. I immediately ran down the music store aisle and presented her with my selected music of choice. My mother looked down at me with a disturbed and unsettling look of concern on her face and said, "You don't want that. She screams too much." I naturally assumed she knew more about Barbra than I did. After all, I had only seen one movie. Although my instincts told me differently, I regrettably put it back upon the shelf. But my fascination would not die. Eventually my parents relented and gave me her Greatest Hits as a Christmas present from which I drew my very first Barbra portrait. As my collection of recordings grew, so did my fascination with every subtle curve and nuance of her face. Her nose, her lips, her cheekbones. And oh, those eyes. I fixated on them. Once I began to detail those blue gray orbs, I couldn't quit until I had pushed myself to the very best of my ability. To this day, I still attribute those many years spent studying her face as an intense exercise which now allows me to create works I actually have respect for. Little by little, Barbra portraits became a more prominent part of my portfolio. By the time I was in high school, my Barbra fetish had reached magnanimous proportions, yet I still couldn't really explain it. Of course, this wasn't such a problem for everyone else. They understood it perfectly and the explanation only seemed to require one word,... "Fag." I don't know why that is but let's face it. Streisand is a gay icon. A goddess. A diva. I have no idea why she has that magnetic pull towards gay males. I also had no idea I was just another colored bead on the string. It was during this same time that I was invited to submit a work to the traveling North Dakota Governor's Art Exhibit. Naturally, I created a new Barbra work and sent her on tour. Oddly enough, it was that work, (which has long since vanished), which brought my work to the attention of The American Academy of Achievement. I was flown to San Diego, presented with an award for my outstanding artistic endeavors and given my first taste of life in the California sunshine.