If you find yourself spent after an hour in the studio, then consider working longer in order to make anything worth looking at.

I’ll look at anything behind glass. It’s my favorite starting point for context.

Art making is like lovemaking, it’s best to keep your parents and therapist out of the studio.

Therapist are great for removing clutter, but you are still all alone with your materials in the studio.

Art making is a sober undertaking and an artist must have a lot of serious solitude.

Art can be inspired by dreams, but avoidance of pain is a much more common muse.

Dreams sometimes offer inspiration, but one must be careful that emotional attachment doesn’t override good instincts.

Dream interpretations are like reading fortune cookies when in the wrong hands.

Young artists must learn early to stop making dichotomies and get on with informed and intuitive thinking.

Art making like therapy doesn’t allow for sediment to settle to the bottom. You just have to get used to drinking muddy water.

Art making doesn’t take courage. But it does help if you don’t mind being uncomfortable.

There are some forms of art that don’t require mastery of materials, but I’m suspect that the maker never learned any better.

If you make enough art, you learn that editing is the best skill of all.

Creative moments come as small events that collectively may become a breakthrough.

I’ve never experienced a creative block and never not made art. The thought of either scares me shitless.

Inspiration can visit anytime but creativity happens while working.

If your dealer tries to tell you how to make your art, put your hands in your pockets and back out of the door slowly.

If you are worried that your art is not good enough or that you are not a real artist, then you are probably right.

If you can’t separate your self-image from your artist persona then you are on the right path to becoming a decent artist.

I don’t know anything about being a great or famous artist because I’m just a good and unknown artist.

Making art in obscurity is a lot easier than trying to get recognized for it.

I worked at building an art career for 25 years and then I moved to the desert and dropped out only to make my best work for another 15 years. If I continue like this for much longer, I’ll become a decent sculptor.

Avoidance of pain or boredom is often the daily motivation to go into the studio. If I’m lucky, enthusiasm will take hold and something decent comes from it.

Emotions expressed in art without finesse are just novice. Pain is inspirational but it’s the act of avoidance that determines how far you run with it.

Inspirational art quotes are best when short and vague.

Art wisdom is the same as any other only it’s based on the creative process. I imagine Mola making by the Kuna Indians is filled with clever and wise words.

I turn inwards to hear the muse’s song. You can’t do that in a public space where one must be mindful of the safety of your person. That’s what churches and temples are for.

The way scientists create a language to describe the indescribable an artist must find the way to express themselves despite our limited and often wounded thinking.

When real inspiration overcomes me, I can’t make work fast enough so much of it ends up on the walls and floor.

Our window of opportunity is brief, and our impact is nominal. There is no need to restrain anything related to your art making.

If you look at a work of art and say to yourself, I can make that better, then you probably a decent artist.

My mind is locked in high gear and serves me well for making art but can be destructive if allowed to wander free.

Obsessive thinking is a focused beam of light that can be harsh and should not be aimed at loved ones.

When asked, How do you have a day career and an art career? I say, I don’t have children, I don’t drink and I don’t watch TV.

Mostly good art making is good art seeing, except for children and savants. And neither of them make for interesting dinner conversation.

A teacher told me I needed to shoot a thousand more rolls of film. I said he was an asshole. A few years later I learned he was right, and I was the asshole.

You gotta get in to get out. That makes no sense until you’ve done it.

If an artist doesn’t get pissed at a critic he’s probably too used to being criticized.

Artists are not want to-be-writers. Writing can stop an artwork from taking flight.

Young art critics are more interested in their career that they are in art.

I don’t want to hear anything about my work except that you love it.

You have to get used to being the first one to put your dick on the table.

If you are not making enemies then you are just boring.

You don’t have to be a narcissist to be an artist but it works for me.

I’m the only one in my family that is a sensitive artist. Try growing in the Florida Panhandle with that shit.

Try copying a Van Gough and you’ll see what a crazy fuck he was.

Eventually you will stop repeating what you learned in Art School and start seeing what made you go there in the first place.

My wife was an art dealer. I saw plenty of exceptional artist loose heart because they thought they could make a living selling their work.

 A work of art allows a voyeuristic look at an intimate act between an artist and their materials.

An artist without a lover is like a caged songbird.  Their song will be beautiful but very sad.

Contemporary art is an intellectual pursuit tethered to complicated objects.

Art can be inspired by dreams, but avoidance of pain is much more common.

Occasionally I distance my work from the object as to emphasize a clever idea only to fail completely.

The emotional impact of art opens unexpected pleasures and make it vulnerable to associative displeasure.

Creativity doesn’t take courage. Living life as an artist does.

Serious art requires study. Artist and viewer must be informed and forever curious.

My rule is three ideas and three visual elements per piece.

The best way to learn your craft is to copy what you like and then keep doing that forever.

Surround yourself with good art and it will seep into your mind and come back out as your vision.

Study, explore and experiment, but be prepared that your dealer will not approve.

Don’t let self-importance get in the way of exploration. Remember that mostly no one gives a shit and you’ll feel better.