Sandra N.

“Sometimes, when I was tired of working, I would go to the Museum of Modern Art. Standing before the great pageant of art history, I would gaze on the works that have survived beyond their times, analy-sing and evaluating them as if trying to solve mathematical puzzles, attempting to assess them in the context of the societies and times that had engendered them; but then I would return to myself and, in trying to consider the next starting point for my work, always find myself faced with the difficulty of reading my own future.”
― Yayoi Kusama, Infinity Net: The Autobiography of Yayoi Kusama

“In O’Keeffe’s thoughtful reply, dated 18 August, she advised me in the gentlest tones, showing consideration for my youthful artistic ambitions: You seem to be having a hard time to get here. If you do get here I hope it will seem to be worth your trouble. When you get to New York take your pictures under your arm and show them to anyone you think may be interested. You will just have to find your way as best you can. It seems to me very odd that you are so ambitious to show your paintings here, but I wish the best for you.”
― Yayoi Kusama, Infinity Net: The Autobiography of Yayoi Kusama

“Becoming a draftsman takes years of focused application and self-discipline. It is tempting to reduce the mastery of drawing to the completion of a few exercises. However, drawing would not have challenged and fascinated the many brilliant minds found in art history if it could have been mastered so easily. Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts to greatness; becoming a master artist takes a lifetime of sustained effort, study, and focus. The atelier curriculum points the way to the goal of mastery, but it is the diligent personal application of these principles over time that determines success.”
― Juliette Aristides, Classical Drawing Atelier: A Contemporary Guide to Traditional Studio Practice

“What I think about first and foremost is that I want to create good art. That is my sole desire. It would be futile and meaningless to focus on the shrinking time-frame before me, or to think of my limitations. I shall never stop striving to create works that will shine on after my death. There are nights when I cannot sleep simply because my heart is bursting with the aspiration to make art that will last forever. I feel how truly wonderful life is, and I tremble with undying fascination for the world of art, the only place that gives me hope and makes life worthwhile. And no matter how I may suffer for my art, I will have no regrets. This is the way I have lived my life, and it is the way I shall go on living.”
― Yayoi Kusama, Infinity Net: The Autobiography of Yayoi Kusama