I went back to my mother's house recently and I saw some of my earlier works as a 15-year-old art student. And a lot of them were reiterations of classic works.

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.

The degradation of most civilizations, contain a common thread. The 'synagogue of Satan' is behind all weaponized ignorance and hate.

One man cannot practice many arts with success.

Beautifully-acted and precisely observed, ILO ILO is an amazing debut, full of heart and intelligence.

I was the lead in two musicals, and I took dance classes.

Time is the substance of which we are made

My most recent purchase was a black lace corset.

A living faith in God means acceptance of the brotherhood of mankind.

Warming up for the Brewers is that lefthander they got from the Mets, Bill Pulitzer.

Did you know that every two hours the nations of this world spend as much on armaments as they spend on the children of this world every year?

At the beginning there was the Word; at the end just the Cliche.