Pretty perfect

To my mind, a picture should be something pleasant, cheerful, and pretty, yes pretty! There are too many unpleasant things in life as it is without creating still more of them.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, painter

The Gust of Wind (Fitzwilliam Gallery, Cambridge)

Sometimes prettiness is enough. Sometimes a sparse fleeting moment is enough. Sometimes an impression is enough.

Two Sisters (on a terrace)

Craft & Calm

You can’t do traditional work at a modern pace. Traditional work has traditional rhythms. You need calm. You can be busy, but you must remain calm.

Bill Buford, Heat: An Amateur’s Adventures as Kitchen Slave

Another quotation drawing attention to artistic and life rhythms. Adrenaline-fuelled creation is not as profound or satisfying as finding the calmness of flow.