Inspiration is for amateurs - the rest of us just show up and get to work. And the belief that things will grow out of the activity itself and that you will - through work - bump into other possibilities and kick open other doors that you would never have dreamt of if you were just sitting around looking for a great "art idea."

There are things about signing on to a process over the long term that protect you from the buffeting winds of change.

I learned you could suffer a terrible tragedy and still be happy again.

I think the problem with the arts in America is how unimportant it seems to be in our educational system.

Painting is a lie. It's the most magic of all media, the most transcendent. It makes space where there is no space.

Of all the artists who emerged in the '80s, I think perhaps Cindy Sherman is the most important.

I always thought that one of the reasons why a painter likes especially to have other painters look at his or her work is the shared experience of having pushed paint around.