In a few years, he transitioned from abstract art to graffiti, which caught the interest of de Kooning, according to Haze, who was raised in Manhattan. She advised him that artists must follow their inspirations in every moment. By the early 1980s, he joined Soul Artists, a prominent graffiti collective in New York City, and displayed his work alongside Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat, who were both his friends, at MoMA PS1. He exhibited at the Tony Shafrazi Gallery and later showcased his nonfigurative paintings globally. Instead of living a completely isolated artist life, he established a successful design business with clients such as the Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, and LL Cool J. In recent years, he has created clothing and designed spaces for Nike and the Standard Hotel. In 2013, he married actress Rosie Perez and lived a very collaborative and social lifestyle. However, everything changed when he began his artist residency at the Elaine de Kooning house in December. "I came here with the intention of relearning how to paint," he stated from a studio overlooking the empty woods in East Hampton. Numerous newly painted views of the studio in various shades of gray adorned the walls, providing a stark contrast to de Kooning's vibrant portrait of Haze and his sister. His earliest abstract paintings, created as a child under her guidance, were displayed alongside his new portrait of de Kooning, featuring wild hair and a cigarette. After months of painting through the night, he felt de Kooning's spirit guiding him to paint people, starting with himself. It was only recently that he felt deserving to paint Elaine, and he feels he has made significant progress in the past few weeks. Many individuals have also found themselves turning corners during quarantine, relying on their own creativity to shape their days in isolation. Many artists, writers, and composers who receive prestigious residencies to isolate themselves in remote and sometimes harsh environments see it as a valuable opportunity. However, during a pandemic, the additional isolation can be challenging even for the most resilient artists. Pat Phillips, who is currently on a painting residency in Provincetown, Massachusetts, finds the enforced isolation difficult, especially during the offseason when the town feels desolate. Despite having his wife, fellow artist Coady Brown, with him, the lack of community interactions and events has made the experience more challenging. Dune walks and potluck dinners featuring local clams are currently not happening. The residents who were once very social are now feeling isolated, according to Richard MacMillan, the executive director of the organization. While many residency programs have shut down due to the quarantine, some, such as Djerassi in California and Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Nebraska, have been able to remain open with new safety protocols. Paolo Arao, a Brooklyn artist who recently completed a three-month residency at Bemis, mentioned that the past month was filled with distracting news. Despite this, he found Nebraska to be safer than home due to the low number of COVID cases. The Elaine de Kooning House residency, where only one artist is hosted at a time, proved to be a well-suited place for sheltering in place. The director of programming, Katherine McMahon, noted that the arrangement worked well for self-quarantine as the artist, Haze, worked through the night while she was up during the day. They would communicate from a safe distance, with Haze often taking breaks outside covered in paint. Haze mentioned that he promised his wife he would quit smoking when he returned home. At the moment, getting distracted would disrupt my focus. In early April, during the height of the pandemic in New York City, Haze was in de Kooning's former studio, surrounded by the sounds of sirens and nature. He sat in front of a self portrait, reminiscent of de Kooning, with a collection of art supplies nearby. He joked about having enough to last through any apocalypse. His studio also featured paintings of de Kooning and Kennedy, creating a nostalgic connection to the past. In close proximity, he was working on a portrait of his immigrant grandfather as a young boy. The time spent alone in his studio helped him to vividly recall various people from his past. He credited Elaine as a spiritual inspiration during this time and admitted to falling in love with her, even confessing to his wife. Despite planning to return home the next day, he found himself still painting a week later as the world seemed to be falling apart. He mentioned that Elaine used to say that obsession is a key component of the process. This information is from around 2020 and comes from The New York Times Company.