Artist

I am interested in the physicality of light itself.

I want people to treasure light.

I always thought that people who live in the desert are a little crazy. It could be that the desert attracts that kind of person, or that after living there, you become that. It doesn't make much difference. But now I've done my 40 years in the desert.

I come from L.A. where there's a sense of show. But that's not a bad word in my mind. We say art 'show,' don't we? 'Show' implies entertainment.

The wonderful thing about being an artist in L.A. is that there is no taste. There's anarchy of taste, which seems good to me.

The people in L.A. do orient themselves to light. I used to call it 'Tan Fascist Culture.' Everyone there is tanned, wears dark sunglasses, looks like a movie star even when they're not.

In age of consumerism and materialism, I traffic in blue sky and colored air.

I started out with projected-light works and working indoors, but I'd prepare the walls - by sanding, etcetera - the way you'd prepare a canvas for painting.

There was a time when I restored antique planes to support my art habit.

If you just add all the time, add more and more light, it loses its meaning.

I don't know if I believe in art. I certainly believe in light.

At my first exhibits, people were saying that's just a light on the wall.

This idea that light plays an important part in our life is important to me.

I'm interested in light. It's a very direct, pragmatic, American, rather naive approach.

If you're not an optimist, forget being an artist.

It's possible to gather light that's older than our solar system.

Planets' orbits are elliptical. It's a very pleasing shape.

I want to create an atmosphere that can be consciously plumbed with seeing... like the wordless thought that comes from looking in a fire.

We have spent billions to go to the moon - we go to this lesser satellite called the moon and say we are in space, but we are in space right now; we just don't feel ourselves to be in space. Some forms of art and some forms of spirituality do give us that sense.

From the very beginning, I was very interested just in light, and art seemed to be a way to work with it.