ON MATERIALS...
From the very outset I have been fascinated by the variety of materials that may be used in my artwork, including those such as sand, sawdust, wax, etc. To make a picture in which these non-artistic materials acquire a completely new meaning and quality has always presented a challenge to my creative work.
ON THE CREATIVE PROCESS...
I usually work a very long time on my pictures. Quite often, if not completely satisfied with what I had basically intended to achieve, I redo the entire painting all over again. Many times, I have painted over nearly finished or even completed works. And I have no regrets as I am fully aware that I have discarded a mediocre solution for a chance to do better by exploring exhaustively and by working on a surface that gets to be more and more interesting at each new try.
ON THE FUNCTION OF THE PICTURE...
I work on a picture until I am pleased with the result, regardless of whether it is for the first or nth time. What really matters is: Should I sign it and display it on the wall? The significance of a work of art, in my opinion, is that, apart from its quality, it should be attractive and cause an emotional response. By hanging it on the wall, I trust that someone else might like it too. It is precisely the reason why I paint.
WHAT IS NOT AND WHAT IS A PICTURE...
There is always the comment that I have been hearing repeatedly: "I am at a loss to understand art". I never could understand how some people can talk of enjoying films and books, but very arely mention feasting their eyes on a picture. Ordinarily, a picture does not have to be a rebus or a rational formula to be understood. As I see it, a picture presents above all an esthetic, irrational message usually sufficient to evoke an emotional reaction. This, of course, does not mean that one should know nothing about art, but that a direct contact with a work of art is an emotional and associated experience rather than a knowledgeable one.
ON TITLES...
A picture is a visual means of communication. Therefore, the title of the picture is also important to me. I imagine titles as guidelines to an association of ideas steering me into the picture world. Am I successful in doing so? I do not know. I have very often asked someone close to tell me what he or she sees on a picture since they are able as unbiased observers to better evaluate its merits. As a result, thanks to my friends some of my pictures have acquired exceptional and witty titles. In addition, I have always appreciated a new association of ideas, for, ultimately, a picture with a wider reading spectrum is always a richer creation.
