Dan Colen Quotations

Its such a weird self-confidence that an artist has - to conceive of this thing that serves no function and say, Im going to really work hard for it and give it and its just going to matter to people. You really have to believe it all on your own.

I think that artworks are like these spiritual objects: I think that they have energies and powers beyond what the eye can see.

Its such a paradox. You come from this place where you want fame; you dont want to be bourgeois, but you want to be successful. You want to be accepted, but you also want to be going against the grain. You want to be on the outside, but you want to be on the inside.

Art class was my thing, but not any other class.

At the end of the day, you cant have a vision; you have to have a hope. This is where the miracle comes in.

Art is kind of the lens through which I think about God.

I try very hard to handle things equally: ideas, materials, and images.

For all the drama we all have with our families and all the tension and hostility, I couldn't have done this without my family. Being the people that they are - they're crazy - made it possible for me to be crazy and to live a lifestyle of my own design.

At the end of the day, you can't have a vision; you have to have a hope. This is where the miracle comes in.

I've always been interested in moments of disbelief... I don't know if they possess any magic, but they do have something.