ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪksti nˈaɪn, nˈuː tə ðə juːnˈaɪɾᵻd stˈeɪts ænd ˌɪnɛkspˈiəɹɪənst æz ɐ pɹəfˈɛʃənəl ˈɪləstɹˌeɪɾɚ, hiː ʃˈoʊd ɐn ˈɪləstɹˌeɪɾᵻd stˈoːɹi ɐbˌaʊt ɐ jˈʌŋ ˈɑːɹɾɪst ænd hɪz əbsˈɛʃən wɪð ɐmˈɛɹɪkə wˌɪtʃ jˈuːzd ɐ mˈɪks ʌv kˈɑːmɪk pˈɪktʃɚz, fˌoʊɾəɡɹˈæfɪk kɑːlˈɑːʒ, wˈɔːɾɚkˌʌlɚ, kˈʌlɚd pˈɛnsəl ænd ˈɪŋk tə mˈɪltən ɡlˈeɪsɚ, ðə dɪzˈaɪn dᵻɹˈɛktɚɹ ʌv nˈuː jˈɔːɹk mˌæɡɐzˈiːn æt ðə tˈaɪm.
In 1969, new to the United States and inexperienced as a professional illustrator, he showed an illustrated story about a young artist and his obsession with America which used a mix of comic pictures, photographic collage, watercolor, colored pencil and ink  to Milton Glaser, the design director of New York magazine at the time.