Sometimes, when I've been staring too hard, I've noticed that I could see the circumference of my own eye.

The paintings that really excite me have an erotic element or side to them irrespective of subject matter

The painting is always done very much with [the model's] co-operation. The problem with painting a nude, of course, is that it deepens the transaction. You can scrap a painting of someone's face and it imperils the sitter's self-esteem less than scrapping a painting of the whole naked body.

I've always wanted to create drama in my pictures, which is why I paint people. It's people who have brought drama to pictures from the beginning. The simplest human gestures tell stories.

A painter must think of everything he sees as being there entirely for his own use and pleasure.

The painter must give a completely free rein to any feeling or sensations he may have and reject nothing to which he is naturally drawn.

Sometimes, when I've been staring too hard, I've noticed that I could see the circumference of my own eye.