Artsy Quotes

[Steven Sweeney]

I think I'll keep on describing things
to ensure that they really happened.

--- a passage from poet Stephen Dunn, writing about his work, on the eve of his 60th birthday. It struck me as applicable to visual arts as well.

[Jim Riley]

"Who sees the human face correctly: the photographer, the mirror or the painter?"- Pablo Picasso

And I recently found this quote taken from prominent product designer a long time ago when I was working as a designer for a large manufacturing company and kept it on my desk for many years. I referred to it often when I had to deal with customers or marketing types who were usually adverse to change. Though it was meant for commercial artists, it could apply to our craft as well.

"To remain uncompromisingly sensitive in the artist's way; to adhere uncompromisingly to aesthetic conviction; to do this as an instrument for the fulfillment of the aims of those who do not understand them, places almost superhuman demands upon creativity. Yet this is what the commercial artist who remains an artist has, uncompromisingly, to do."

[Karin Wells]

I have no idea who originated the following one-liners, but I really like 'em:

Living on Earth is expensive, but it does include a free trip around the sun every year.

Happiness comes through doors you didn't even know you left open.

Most of us go to our grave with our music still inside of us.

You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened.

We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors but they all exist very nicely in the same box.

A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

[Karin Wells]

If logic tells you that life is a meaningless accident, don't give up on life. Give up on logic. -Shira Millgrom


People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered. Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest person with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest person with the smallest mind. Think big anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack if you help them. Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you might get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you've got anyway.
-Mother Teresa


I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career.
I've lost more than 300 games.
Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot...and missed.
I've failed over and over and over again in my life...
And THAT is why I succeed.
-Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls

[Karin Wells]

How/what did they paint back then?

Painting is silent poetry, poetry is eloquent painting.

Simonides C 556-468 BC
Plutarch Moralia

[Jim Riley]

I don't know who said this:

"Art is nature concentrated".

[Michael Georges]

"Everyone wants to be the gadfly. No one volunteers to be the stingable horse."

[Karin Wells]

Edgar Degas said, "Painting is easy when you don't know what you are doing and very hard when you do".

I found and lifted this from a post by Alicia Kornick. Thanks Alicia, I really like this.

[Timothy C. Tyler]

Henry James said of young JS Sargent, "He has an insolent degree of talent".

[Sharlene Laughton]

Here's a quote I came across recently. While it's not exactly an "Art" quote, it sure tells us why we, as painters, are drawn to portraits.

'The human face is the most individual of all things. It knows its owner