Put a symbol, or language of some sort, in a painting and it will be noticed by the viewer whether or not they can read that particular language.

The person viewing your work has no idea what the scene really looked like, nor do they care.

When we look at a painting, listen to a piece of music, read a novel, or watch a movie we are taking in the artist's composition. The composition is the totality of the work.

A painting with a message does not happen by accident. It happens when you place elements in their order of importance.

The theme, or harmony, of a painting can be created by any one of its visual elements. A single colour... repetition of shapes... Light can be a theme.

Artists need not meet any standards to practice their craft... Virtually every other occupation requires some sort of license, union membership or something that says you are qualified.

The difficult part of the process is the long exploration and discovery of your own soul and living with the results.

That a viewer does not see what the artist intended does not make the composition a failure... In reality all artists speak first to themselves and then to an audience.

You have to understand how the human eye behaves when it views a scene for the first time. Work with that knowledge, and your paintings will have more drama and will evoke strong reactions.

Being true to oneself more often leads one toward success rather than away from it.

The way we see is critical to understanding how others will read our compositions.

Sometimes it's the person giving you the medicine who's making you sick.

... the mere thought of going near a man who is not mellowly pickled, and whose breath reeks of his native fleshy self, is squeamishly unpalatable to me.

What we (U.S.) have done, is undertaken diplomacy through public assertions that tend to alienate everyone.

I found the evil in myself a long time ago, and I've accepted it. We're old friends.

If you are disappearing from yourself, but you're still writing, then there is a kind of activity of thinking going on, which in my world is similar to what's going on in music.

God forbid you sing about love. It's a lost concept.

The principal form that the work of love takes is attention. When we love another person we give him or her our attention; we attend to that person's growth.

I am not a librarian of my own work. It's a good thing not to be too involved with what you have done.

When I believe, I am crazy. When I don’t believe, I suffer psychotic depression.

I could play ball all day. That's all I want to do.