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.

Did I want to spend all my time working on a painting? No, I wanted to have fun, travel, meet women and live life.

The trick is to paint a picture that doesn't exist, and yet that fits perfectly into an artist's body of work.

I went to the flea market in the morning and charged tourists money to take pictures of me. I looked pretty wild, with hair down to my waist, Indian robes, a floor-length fur coat. There must be lots of photos of me out there.

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.

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 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.