Quotes from David Hockney

Well you can't teach the poetry, but you can teach the craft.

People criticized me for my photography. They said it's not art.

We live in an age where the artist is forgotten. He is a researcher. I see myself that way.

I did come from a pretty independent-minded family.

In my old age, I'll be in L.A.

I go and see anything that's visually new, any technology that's about picture-making. The technology won't make the pictures different, but someone using it will.

Anything simple always interests me.

You had to be aware that I saw that photography was a mere episode in the history of the optical projection and when the chemicals ended, meaning the picture was fixed by chemicals, we were in a new era.

I'm a very early riser, and I don't like to miss that beautiful early morning light.

Anyway I feel myself a bit on the edge on the art world, but I don't mind, I'm just pursuing my work in a very excited way. And there isn't really a mainstream anymore, is there?

What an artist is trying to do for people is bring them closer to something, because of course art is about sharing. You wouldn't be an artist unless you wanted to share an experience, a thought.

I was always struck by how Picasso had no interest in music.

I went to art school actually when I was sixteen years old.

Listening is a positive act: you have to put yourself out to do it.

To me, the world's rather beautiful if you look at it. Especially nature.

I'm interested in all kinds of pictures, however they are made, with cameras, with paint brushes, with computers, with anything.

I think my father would have liked to have been an artist, actually. But I think he didn't quite have perhaps the drive or, I don't know, I mean he had a family to bring up I suppose.

I draw flowers every day and send them to my friends so they get fresh blooms every morning.

Shadows sometimes people don't see shadows. The Chinese of course never paint them in pictures, oriental art never deals with shadow. But I noticed these shadows and I knew it meant it was sunny.

I think I'm greedy, but I'm not greedy for money - I think that can be a burden - I'm greedy for an exciting life.

I think I'm greedy, but I'm not greedy for money – I think that can be a burden – I'm greedy for an exciting life. I want it to be exciting all the time, and I get it, actually. On the other hand, I can find excitement, I admit, in raindrops falling on a puddle and a lot of people wouldn't. I intend to have it exciting until the day I fall over.

It is very good advice to believe only what an artist does, rather than what he says about his work.

The moment you cheat for the sake of beauty,you know you're an artist.

It's the very process of looking at something that makes it beautiful.