Ellsworth Kelly Quotes & Sayings

“When I see a white piece of paper, I feel I've got to draw. And drawing, for me, is the beginning of everything.”

“Shape and color are my two strong things. And by doing this, drawing plants has always led me into my paintings and my sculptures.”

“I did not want windows, only skylights. I chose my painting wall as it has the best morning light.”

“The negative is just as important as the positive.”

“The paintings to me are always canvas; sculpture has always been metal, though I have made sculpture in wood, also.”

“In Paris in the late '40s, I started making my first reliefs. They are separate panels. I wanted to do something coming out of the wall, almost like a collage. I did a lot of white reliefs when I started because I liked antique reliefs, really old stuff.”

“One of the first drawings I did in Paris - I wasn't thinking of doing drawings, but somehow or other, I kept drawing - I bought a hyacinth flower with a lot of leaves, just to make me feel like spring.”

“All my paintings are usually done in drawing form, very small. I make notations in drawings first, and then I make a collage for color. But drawing is always my notation.”

“Geometry is moribund. I want a lilt and joy to art.”

“Each drawing that I've done, I have found. Meaning, I see a plant I want to draw.”