Maira Kalman

bonhomie, merriment, laughter.

What is wrong with that?

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

I used to be ashamed of my inconsistencies.

Now I revel in them.

Everything is in conflict.

Everything has an opposite.

You are not bound to be one thing.

A truly liberating notion for me.

You might tell the truth or you might lie.

You might be kind or unkind, selfish or generous, quick or thick.

And in the midst of that confusion and that tumult, the work blossoms.

to have meaningful work is a salvation.

And one of my greatest pleasures is to stare at things.

My children always say that I get too close to strangers on the street and just stare at them, at their features, because I'm so entranced, so I have to be pulled away a little bit.

But then I can go into my studio and report on what I have encountered.

and then as a bonus, the bliss of mixing colors, of being alone and listening to music and going into another world.

Here is a painting from a visit that I did to Cézanne's studio.

The walls are painted gray.