Graphic Echo's Sixth Month Jubilee

In celebration of Graphic Echo's six months of existence, I have compiled a number of quotes by famous artists that expose the true nature of being an artist, as well as create a light in which we can view them as real people. I believe that sometimes we create such a distance between ourselves and individuals who work on a different level, but we all essentially create art in the same manner, enduring the same hopes and frustrations. Additionally, I have included some awesome quotes from GE artists. Thank you to all of the artists I have interviewed; it means so much to me that everyone has been so honest and giving in sharing their thoughts. 

"The idea of getting out of the art world to make better art because you can reach people outside the class structures implied by the museum system is a dream that’s been embedded in many artists of my generation." -Tony Oursler

"If I knew what the picture was going to be like I wouldn’t make it. The challenge is more about trying to make what you can’t think of." -Cindy Sherman

"When I do work, I get so much done in such a concentrated time that once I’m through a series, I’m so drained I don’t want to get near the camera." -Cindy Sherman

BAI: "What work of art do you wish you owned?"
JS: "The Sistine Chapel."
BAI: "What would you do to get it?"
JS: "Become Pope."

-Jim Shaw 

"When it is working, you completely go into another place, you're tapping into things that are totally universal, completely beyond your ego and your own self. That's what it's all about." -Keith Haring

"I think you have to control the materials to an extent, but it's important to let the materials have a kind of power for themselves; like the natural power of gravity, if you are painting on a wall, it makes the paint trickle and it drips; there is no reason to fight that." -Keith Haring

 "If you want to know all about Andy Warhol, just look at the surface of my paintings and films and me, and there I am. There's nothing behind it." 

-Andy Warhol

"I had a lot of dates but I decided to stay home and dye my eyebrows." 

-Andy Warhol

"The truly successful fine artist is willing to let go of many of the extra things in life to harness the skills to become a success." -Gill Eaton-Koch

"In my opinion, graffiti can be just as aesthetically valuable as any painting or sculpture. In terms of material worth in the art world, perhaps this doesn't hold true, but I believe different types of art influences people and society in different ways - you can't look at everything through the same lens." -Angie Carafas

"I want the world to see itself through my eyes." -Grace Camporeale

"When I started working with Ed Smith a couple years ago he had me work on paintings that were about 10' x 6'. I hadn’t had an extensive amount of experience with oil and I had never worked very big. When he showed me the wall he wanted me to work on, I thought to myself, "Yeah Ed, sick joke." Looking back, it was a way of learning how to swim by being tossed into the pool, and I am so grateful for that." -Mike O.