I've been afraid every single day of my life, but I've gone ahead and done it anyway.

A flower is relatively small... Still in a way-nobody sees a flower-so I said to myself-I'll paint it big.

I think it's so foolish for people to want to be happy. Happy is so momentary--you're happy for an instant and then you start thinking again. Interest is the most important thing in life; happiness is temporary, but interest is continuous.

Since I cannot sing, I paint.

So I said to myself-I'll paint what I see-what the flower is to me but I'll paint it big and they will be surprised into taking the time to look at it-I will make even busy New Yorkers take time to see what I see of flowers.

I have painted portraits that to me are almost photographic. I remember hesitating to show the paintings, they looked so real to me. But they have passed into the world as abstractions - no one seeing what they are.

I decided I was a very stupid fool not to at least paint as I wanted to.