“My purpose is to acknowledge the wonder of being part of Creation. Though I myself don't create anything, I make from what has been created.” Has BeensPurposeWonderCreationAcknowledge Author:Joel-Peter Witkin
“My work would have the impact of my unreality - my doubts.” DoubtImpactUnreality Author:Joel-Peter Witkin
“I've come to realize that the mark is the primal gesture, the internal connection of the caveman to the cosmos; an impossibility similar to an impulse in an insect's nervous system that it could somehow reduce to dust a steel beam by endlessly crawling over it.” RealizingConnectionsMarkNervousDustImpulseCosmosInternalsOver ItGesturesSteelInsectsImpossibilityBeamPrimalNervous SystemCrawling Author:Joel-Peter Witkin
“I could easily live in a world populated with disjunctive, bizarre things.” WorldBizarre Author:Joel-Peter Witkin
“Extreme things are like miracles. Nothing is as boring as a person who is just okay.” PersonsOkayMiracleBoringExtremes Author:Joel-Peter Witkin
“I have consecrated my life to changing matter into spirit with the hope of one day seeing it all. Seeing in its total form, while wearing the mask, from the distance of death. And there, in the eternal destiny, to seek the face I had before the world was made.” WorldMadeMatterFacesFormSpiritDestinySeeingOne DayEternalDistanceMask Author:Joel-Peter Witkin
“In the 'west' success is defined in purely material terms. He with the most money wins... We should question, speak out and work for a better society with a whole different definition of what is deemed a successful artistic life.” ShouldDifferentWholeSuccessWinningSpeakTermSuccessfulMaterialsWestDefinitionsDefinedArtisticSuccess In LifeSpeaks OutArtistic Life Author:Mark A. Brennan
“There are a lot of tricks you have to keep playing on yourself to keep at it because every time you hit a problem you want to walk away.” WantProblemWalksPerseveranceTricks Author:Janet Fish
“For a long time, I kept working at part-time jobs... my goal was to build up enough savings so I wouldn't be kicked out on the streets if I didn't sell enough paintings.” IfsLongEnoughJobsGoalStreetsPaintingLong TimeSellsSellingSavingSavingsPart TimePart Time Jobs Author:Janet Fish