"The first painting I cried in front of was in 2014 at The Museum of Modern Art in New York, when I saw Van Gogh's Starry Night. The second painting I cried in front of was several minutes after the first, when I saw Monet's Water Lilies. I sat down on the bench in front of the painting and had a life-affirming moment of clarity. I thought, "Ah! This is what I am here for. To be moved. To make work that moves me." In 2019, following a three year process, this was the third painting I cried in front of."
