To be an artist is first to be a manual laborer.

His mind was like a soup dish, wide and shallow; it could hold a small amount of nearly anything, but the slightest jarring spilled the soup into somebody's lap

Loneliness is a kind of prison. [Vincent Van Gogh]

Art is amoral; so is life. For me there are no obscene pictures or books; there are only poorly conceived and poorly executed ones.

He made his colours, built his stretchers, plastered his canvas, painted his pictures, carpentered his frames, and painted them. 'Too bad I can't buy my own pictures,' he murmured aloud. 'Then I'd be completely self-sufficient.'

Reading is a stouthearted activity, disporting courage, keenness, stick-to-it-ness.

I will be an artist. I am sure I will. [Vincent Van Gogh]