Stuart Pearson Wright
I'm an ambitious self-publicist out of necessity. I've never been one to miss an opportunity because I've never had any illusions about how hard it is to survive as a painter... It's been an extra driving force to be able to prove the sceptics wrong.Collection: Opportunity
Art thrives on society and society thrives on its art.Collection: Art
I love isolation. It's very important for me to have time and space to myself when I can sit and read or write as well as paint. It's all part of the process.Collection: Writing
It is intensely frustrating to be misquoted.Collection: Frustrating
I'm not some kind of machine that paints pictures.Collection: Machines
Some sitters don't engage with the process of having their portrait painted at all. They'll think it's a good opportunity to catch up with all their phone calls.Collection: Opportunity
It's important to start off with ideals, even if they become modified at some later stage.Collection: Important
One of my principal concerns is the contradiction between appearance and reality - illusion and reality. I try to set up an expectation of sorts and then contradict it.Collection: Reality
I benefit from contemplation, but it's a great antidote to that, having someone interesting come into the studio environment to be painted, so that I can experience a little bit of their world.Collection: Interesting
One of the big failings of art schools is that students aren't given any teaching on how to survive as a one-person business, which is what it is.Collection: Art
A contemporary painting is worth what someone is prepared to pay for it and not a predetermined figure.Collection: Pay