Do I prefer wood, glass or paper for my palette surface?

Actually any of the three will do but somehow cloth seems to end up the most often, you know, shirts, pants and coats... A corollary question might be "What is your favorite method for getting dried alizarin out of a white shirt?"

What do I think creates artistic block? How do I solve them?

I can't speak for others but in my case I think overproduction and "formula" painting gets boring and makes one lose interest. (Not that I produce that much) On the rare occasion when I have "art fatigue" I take a break from the art world and in due time am inspired again. Looking at other painters work is also helpful.

Do I support myself from my art?

Good heavens NO. The small amount of money I make from selling my art barely covers my art supplies. I can indulge myself as much or as little in painting BECAUSE I don't HAVE to make a living at it. I am now retired from surgery, so without that pressure I don't feel the need to grind out a picture every few days. See #2 above.

What does my studio look like?

That is a probing personal question! I've always found space at home to paint in and in the pre-cell phone era, was a necessity when I was "On Call". I could always drop everything and go. Habits persist and though I've been free for 15 years from having to drop everything for emergencies my studio still is a mess. Where do you store the accumulation of finished and half-finished paintings? Who can throw away a favorite brush? And so forth? What I have is a very forgiving wife. What I need is a full time OR nurse.

Did I have a mentor?

Yes I did. Mr, Newman was the father of some boys we played with at the Jersey shore during the summers. He was an architect by training but an avid and very good plein air painter on weekends. When I was about 12 years old he asked if I would like to go painting with him. Over, perhaps, the next three years and many Saturdays and Sundays we painted together the waterfront marinas, the backcountry farms and everything in between. His guidance was kind, astute, and unselfish. I still have a couple of those first efforts but mostly I remember Mr. Gus Newman and thank him for getting me started on a lifetime of oil painting.

Where do I get my greatest inspiration?

If by this is meant what keeps me trying to paint when my best efforts are frequently far short of what I wanted them to be, then I would say it's the compulsion to be better. If I can produce pictures where the composition is good and the brushwork is not sloppy in some places and I don't have to squirm when showing the painting in public, then I'll be satisfied.

Where would I like to travel to paint?

Not to any geographic place so much as to a spot where I could watch N.C. Wyeth, Norman Rockwell, William Merritt Chase, Claude Monet and Thomas Gainsborough at work and welcome questions from the likes of me.

What is your favorite color?

Green, it connotes life, vigor and growth. It has many moods and can be mixed in hundreds of ways. It challenges me to be subtle but also bold.

What would I like to say, not already asked?

As an amateur painter, whose curiosity is aroused by seeing art that moves you, try your hand at it. Get some good instruction early and stick with it. No matter that you aren't going to be famous, simply try, try again and you will be richly rewarded. I have.