I think it's possible to allow an artist to go beyond his borders and play.

I think there's something important in going against the grain, and perhaps finding value in things that aren't necessarily institutionally recognized.

This is something that, as artists, we constantly deal with-throwing away the past, slaying the father, and creating the new. This desire to throw away the old rules.

The backgrounds by design are a very key part of the conversation, because I want a kind of fight or pressure to exist between the figure and the background.

All art is self-portraiture.

Painting is situational. And my particular situation exists within gender, race, class, sexuality, nation.

I believe that artists should be part of the culture. I think that my work clearly bears that out.

The art world has become so insular. The rules have become so autodidactic that, in a sense, they lose track of what people have any interest in thinking about, talking about or even looking at.

We have a lot of sort of received historical ways of viewing portraiture. And I suppose in some way I'm sort of questioning that by toying with the rules of the game.

We're wired to be empathetic and to care about the needs of others, but also to be curious about others. And I think that's just sort of in our DNA. And so portraiture is a very human act.

I guess art is in the eye of the beholder.

If you have nothing good to say about someone, write a book about them. - Carmen Fox, Life Motto

. . . Orpheus struck dumb with hindsight.

Don't forget either, you unhappy man, that voluntary confinement is a great deal harder to bear than compulsory.

If the way of the sage is true, that we are all dreaming our world into being, then it has to apply not only to our private, personal universe but to the world at large.

For knowledge, too, is itself power.

Everything in life should be done with reflection.

I think that as a society as well, we need to be smart about what technologies we take up and how construe progress.

The word "no" denotes a shutting of the door. It means failure, defeat, delay. But spell in backwards and take new hope, for backwards it spells "on."

It is more difficult to designate this form of conation on its practical side by a satisfactory name.

Love is much stronger than your fault could ever be.