In 1978, with four hundred dollars in his pocket, Nolde Banziger landed in San Francisco. But what he found there in terms of creative and artistic impulses, and people, did not inspire him. It is not surprising, because what he found in the pulsating, chaotic atmosphere of Manila, a fascinating path of duality between human beings and materials, was sharply contrasted by the coolness of San Francisco, which did nothing to stimulate his creative vibrations. Therefore, his next destination had to be a city with a more complex ethnic mix: Los Angeles. There, in its alluring surroundings, he hoped his artistic ambitions would stand a better chance of being fulfilled. But by the time he made it to this big city, he was completely broke. Instead of starting to paint, he had to make a living as a truck driver and mover to pay for rent, food, and painting materials. Only after dark was he able to pursue his artistic inclination. With iron discipline, he worked day after day developing his skills, as he does to this day. It was during this phase of hard work, and great inspiration, that Banziger produced a myriad of paintings depicting the colorful opulence and the androgynous spirit of Hollywood that was alive at the end of the seventies. He characterizes his work from that time as his 'surrealistic' period.