One of my most strong memories was studying with Mel Bochner, one of the, I think, high water marks of American conceptual art.

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.

For me, nature is something you watch on the Discovery Channel, or on the evening news -- as you learn how much more of it's been savaged to make way for the Blackberry realm that is my home

The price for being intelligent enough to be the first species to be fully aware of the cosmos might just be a capacity to feel a whole universe’s worth of darkness.

He was presumably a lover. They did things like commanding battalions. And worse!

The reality of life is that we are exposed to a multiplicity of toxic substances.

The 1992 crisis proved that the existing system was unstable. Not moving forward to the euro would have set up Europe for even more disruptive crises.

Me and Bianca [Stewart] would go to thrift stores like the Salvation Army. We'd pick up dope stuff no one ever heard of. But we'd put it together in ways that would work and be different.

We were created to be woman and man and make kids.

The key to a successful marriage is accepting that you're not going to change the other person. And the words "Yes, dear. Whatever you want.

They were black like a lizard's and very large and, like the eyes of a lizard, could sometimes look sleepy.

...lest too light winning make the prize light.