One of my first encounters with the art of Beuys was in 1977 when I visited the Documenta in Kassel. I still see in my mind’s eye the installation ‘Honey Pump at the work place’. I clearly remember the feeling of curiosity – this was by Beuys after all – but also the irritation at what I saw. It seemed incomprehensible. What was that machinery? What was that heap of grease? And most of all, was that real honey that was being pumped to the top of the staircase? Without the context of what Beuys called a ‘Social Plastic’, neither the title nor the installation itself divulged meaning to me at the time. Today I appreciate the new perspective that he brought to art by saying: "Everybody is an artist". He meant that every person as a social being has the creative power to change himself and the world. In that sense, I see myself in a beuysian tradition, not limited to my painting but most of all in how I interact with the world, with people. It all can be (/is) an artistic endeavour that can bring change for the better, for me, and those I am in contact with. Beuys says we are endowed with the creative power to bring change, let's use it.