14 Artists Magazine May 2020
Prime TEXT
“Whether my cathedral views,
my views of London and other
canvases are painted from life
or not is nobody’s business and
of no importance whatsoever.”
—Claude Monet“Monet’s quote is a reminder that,
ultimately, a painting has a life of
its own. Debates about whether
a work created on location is
more authentic than a studio
painting or whether working
through a window is plein air
are academic. It’s the
result that matters.”MARION BODDY-EVANS
ARTIST, INSTRUCTOR AND WRITERLIKE US ON FACEBOOK
@ARTISTSNETWORK TO
ANSWER EACH MONTH’S
QUESTION IN “THE ASK.”
RESPONSES MAY BE EDITED
FOR LENGTH AND CLARITY.“My favorite quote comes
from Chuck Close. In his
typical no-nonsense way, he
advises artists not to wait
around for inspiration.
‘Inspiration,’ he says, ‘is for
amateurs; the rest of us just
show up and get to work.’
A great lesson for all of us. ”
JOHN SALMINEN
ARTIST AND INSTRUCTORSunfl ower Head Orange
by Jimmy Wright, pastel on paper, 41x“I’m a representational painter,
but not a painter of appearances.
I paint representational pictures
of emotional situations.”
—Howard Hodgkin“Hodgkin’s quote would make a
challenging and rewarding curatorial
theme for an exhibition focusing on
the enigma of form as a signifi er of
emotion, something that I explore in
my highly personal fl ower paintings.”JIMMY WRIGHT
ARTIST AND PRESIDENT,
PASTEL SOCIETY OF AMERICAWhat’s your favorite
art quotation?
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“‘Don’t love it to death.’ My
college professor Dick Dale
would say this about knowing
when your painting is done.
Nearly 30 years later, I still
fi nd myself saying it.”
—TOD N JANE KITTEL“ ‘Inspiration exists, but it
has to fi nd you working.’
Picasso’s quote reminds
me to work, even when I’m
not inspired.”
—MARIA MARAIS“ ‘Don’t think about making
art, just get it done. Let
everyone else decide if it’s
good or bad. ... While they
are deciding, make even
more art.’ Even though my
style is far removed from
his, Warhol’s quote freed me
from worrying so much
about what others think
of my art.”
—JULIE LUND SCHOFIELD