Artist Quotes

Quotable Quotes and Nuggets of Wisdom by Keith Bond Over the years, I have collected quotes and words of wisdom about art.  Many artists have given us a great gift by sharing their insights.  Below is a mere random sampling of some of my favorite quotable quotes and pearls of advice.  There are far too many to include in one article.  Perhaps I will share a few more in a future article.  If you have any that you would like to add to this list, please make a comment below. An immature artist imitates. A mature artist steals. – T.S. Elliot, as quoted by Skip Whitcomb Thumbnail sketches cause you to look deeper and deeper into what is happening.  They also enable you to look deeper and deeper into yourself and how you react to the scene. – Skip Whitcomb Everything is relative. – unknown Not everything in life can or should be explained.  Part of every painting should be incomplete.to be completed in the mind of the viewer. – Russell Chatham A weak background is a deadly thing. – Robert Henri To have ideas one must have imagination. To express ideas one must have science. – Robert Henri Knowledge is ahead of performance. – Skip Whitcomb Art is like a train.  The engine is knowledge.  The caboose is performance. Everything in between is frustration. – Skip Whitcomb Frustration – learn to love it.  It means you are pushing yourself to explore more deeply. – Skip Whitcomb The beginner in painting begins by copying nature in all literalness, leaving nothing out and putting nothing in; he makes it look like the place or person or thing.  By and by he will learn to omit the superfluous and to grasp the essentials and arrange them into a more powerful and significant whole.   And it is wonderful to know that these “essentials” will be essentials to him only (and herein lies the secret of originality).  Another man will choose another group of essentials out of the same fountain of inspiration.  – John F. Carlson [The fundamentals of art] are but the means, and not an end in themselves.  – John F. Carlson [Surface] quality corresponds to “timbre” in a singer’s voice.  – John F. Carlson The edges are the four most important lines of any composition.  – Skip Whitcomb You can write a letter with a typewriter, a pencil, or a crayon.  What you have to say is the important thing.  – Paul Strisik People aren’t interested in blueprints; they want to sense the painter’s involvement and pleasure in the subject. . . . Paint a sense of place.  – Paul Strisik If fact were enough, you could take a photo of the subject. Unlike the sensitive observer, however, the camera never selects or comments, never adds or subtracts. – Paul Strisik When you paint things exactly as they are, you don’t show people anything that they couldn’t see for themselves; you’re telling them what they already know. – Paul Strisik If you’re not excited about the subject, the viewer won’t be either. – Paul Strisik You can see best with your eyes half closed!  (In reference to squinting often while painting from life). – Keith Bond Paint what you really see, not what you THINK you see. – unknown (I have read this statement from several artist. I don’t know who said it first). If you think your picture needs something, take something out. – Harvey Dunn, as quoted by Jean LeGassick In the landscape, colors are more neutral than you may think. Pay close attention to this. Small areas of rich color can make the whole painting look colorful. - Matt Smith If a composition is weak in black and white, then it will still be weak when color is added. – Keith Bond A white object in shadow is DARKER in value than a black object in direct sunlight!! – Brian Stewart Don’t paint the fleas before you paint the dog. – attributed to Sergei Bongart (I recently learned that there is a book about Sergei Bongart which includes much of his teachings and philosophy. I have not yet read it, but I am sure it is full of such nuggets of wisdom.) Every brushstroke has a waiting list. – Nikolo Balkanski Don’t eat everything that flies. Don’t paint everything you see. – Nikolo Balkanski Don’t decorate your home before the roof is on. The structure of a painting must be solid before you add the details. - Keith Bond Good composition is always determined by good selection. – Edgar Payne Painting is a barely controlled disaster. – Skip Whitcomb I hope that these are as inspirational to you as they are to me.  Each time I read them, they remind me anew of the magic of art and the challenge we have to create it.  Art is a beautiful language. Best Wishes, Keith Bond P.S. Yes, I included three that I penned.  These ideas are not unique to me; only the way they were written.  Many other artists have made similar points and expressed them in unique ways.  This holds with every thought included here.