When I am halfway there with a painting, it can occasionally be thrilling... But it happens very rarely; usually it's agony... I go to great pains to mask the agony. But the struggle is there. It's the invisible enemy.
Richard DiebenkornUse and respond to the initial fresh qualities but consider them absolutely expendable.
Richard DiebenkornAll paintings start out of a mood, out of a relationship with things or people, out of a complete visual impression
Richard DiebenkornIn a successful painting everything is integral - all the parts belong to the whole. If you remove an aspect or element you are removing its wholeness.
Richard DiebenkornI came to mistrust my desire to explode the picture and supercharge it in some way… what is more important is a feeling of strength in reserve – tension beneath calm.
Richard DiebenkornAttempt what is not certain. Certainty may or may not come later. It may then be a valuable delusion.
Richard DiebenkornSomehow don't be bored, but if you must, use it in action. Use its destructive potential.
Richard DiebenkornAbstract means literally to draw from or separate. In this sense every artist is abstract for he must create his own work from his visual impressions. A realistic or non-objective approach makes no difference. The result is what counts.
Richard DiebenkornAll paintings start out of a mood, out of a relationship with things or people, out of a complete visual impression. To call this expression abstract seems to me often to confuse the issue. Abstract means literally to draw from or separate. In this sense every artist is abstract . . . a realistic or non-objective approach makes no difference. The result is what counts.
Richard DiebenkornMy freedom consists in my moving about within the narrow frame that I have assigned myself for each one of my undertakings.
Richard DiebenkornI don't go into the studio with the idea of 'saying' something. What I do is face the blank canvas and put a few arbitrary marks on it that start me on some sort of dialogue.
Richard Diebenkorn