I love Nicolas de Stael particularly, and my work can remind people of him. But looked at attentively, our works are not similar at all. – Etel Adnan
Once I put down a color, I never cover it up. If you are born a musician, why become a banker? – Etel Adnan
Mount Tamalpais became my house. For Cezanne, Sainte-Victoire was no longer a mountain. It was an absolute. It was painting. – Etel Adnan
Do what your inner soul tells you to do, regardless of any money or success it will bring you. – Etel Adnan
Usually, I am a compulsive person, and I need – sometimes urgently – to paint… Painting is close to poetry, is a kind of poetry expressed visually. It has to be spontaneous, rapid – at least in my case. – Etel Adnan
My writing and my paintings do not have a direct connection in my mind. But I am sure they influence each other in the measure that everything we do is linked to whatever we are, which includes whatever we have done or are doing. – Etel Adnan
Places are part of nature, of the bigger picture. We are interrelated. When we contemplate them in their own right, they can sometimes change our lives; they can become spiritual experiences. – Etel Adnan
