"Self-portrait as a Renaissance artist"
(acrylic painting on cardboard, 11X14, 1999)
"Which painting in the National Gallery would I save if there was a fire? The one nearest the door of course."
George Bernard Shaw
"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep."
Scott Adams
"The moment you cheat for the sake of beauty, you know you're an artist."
Max Jacob
"Art is never finished, only abandoned."
Leonardo da Vinci
I don’t know about you, but I feel that the word ‘artist’ is rapidly loosing its meaning. Rappers who call women names no woman should ever be called, pseudo-painters who couldn’t produce a half-descent work of art if their life depended on it and Hollywood starlets without the slightest evidence of any talent nowadays feel entitled to call themselves artists…
At one time skill and creativity served as prerequisites for being called an artist, but those times seem to be long gone. Artists of the past used to work on developing their talents their whole lives, while the artists of today often limit their potential by their unshakable beliefs in their own genius. I consider myself very fortunate because as an artist I don’t seem to suffer from any delusions of grandeur. I constantly work on improving my artistic skills and I feel proud every time somebody tells me that I’m a good artist, because the word ‘artist’ still means something to me.
