In a legal sense, I am a convicted criminal.

I think that the most important requirement is to capture the essence of a piece of art. You look at it, essentially absorb it, and you have to be able to understand it visually without having to think about how it was done. I was already able to do that as a child.

I wouldn't be ashamed to sell my own art for a lot of money.

I only painted when I felt like it and needed money. But it never really became a professional thing, even though the dealers would have liked that.

I can paint anything. Leonardo? Of course. But why? You couldn't sell it.

For the cynic, art is defined through money. That, of course, is a very sad statement. But an artist is someone who does creative things.

I never decided to become an art forger. I was aware of my talent at an early age, and I used it foolishly. This developed over the years. In my heart, I don't see myself as a criminal.