Art should be something that liberates the soul, provokes the imagination and encourages people to go further.
The toxic parts of oil paints: Vandyke red, ferrocyanide; iodine scarlet, mercuric iodide; flake white, lead carbonate; cobalt violet, arsenic—all those beautiful compounds and pigments that artists treasure but turn out to be deadly. How your dream to create a masterpiece will drive you nuts and then kill you.
Art is a jealous thing; it requires the whole and entire man.
I think that everything in life is art. What you do, how you dress. How do you love someone and how do you say. Your smile and your personality. And all your dreams. How do you drink tea, how to decorate your home or how to have fun. Your shopping list. The food you cook. What your handwriting looks like. How are you feeling. Life is an art.
— How far do I bow down? 180 degrees? Like this?
— Think of a sunflower. They bow to the sun. Βut if you see some that are too bowed down... it means they're dead! You're serving. You're not a servant. Serving is a supreme art. God is the first servant. God serves men, but he's not a servant to men.
I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.
The paradox of being a professional artist. How we spend our lives trying to express ourselves well, but we have nothing to tell. We want creativity to be a system of cause and effect. Results. Marketable product. We want dedication and discipline to equal recognition and reward. We get on our art school treadmill, our graduate program for a master’s in fine arts, and practice, practice, practice. With all our excellent skills, we have nothing special to document. According to Peter, nothing pisses us off more than when some strung-out drug addict, a lazy bum, or a slobbering pervert creates a masterpiece. As if by accident.