A painter's tastes must grow out of what so obsesses him in life that he never has to ask himself what it is suitable for him to do in art.

The paintings live because their creator has been passionately attentive to their theme, and his attention has left something for us to look at. It seems a sort of miracle.

What do I ask of a painting? I ask it to astonish, disturb, seduce, convince.

As far as I am concerned the paint is the person. I want it to work for me just as flesh does

The longer you look at an object, the more abstract it becomes, and, ironically, the more real.

I have a hatred of habit and routine. And what dogs love is just that. They like regular everything, and I don't have regular anything. I have a timetable, but no routine.

The aura given out by a person or object is as much a part of them as their flesh.