Top 34 Quotes & Sayings by Marcel Dzama

I use dull colors in my drawings because I started out using a root beer base, because it seemed like an interesting idea, and when it turned out that it worked quite well as an ink, I started using other colors that would complement it, like grays from Higgins black writing ink and, more recently, Dr. P.H. Martin's olive green and vermilion.

I've always remembered 'Where the Wild Things Are' so clearly, which isn't the case with most other children's books. 'Wild Things' was a favorite from the start.

Everyone was saying computers were going to be the future of art; everyone had to do something in this medium. And it was almost some sort of rebellion that I wanted to do these small, intimate drawings.

I make art primarily for myself and to show my friends, so I guess it's important to make art that they can connect to.

Every now and then, I like to take a break from the visual arts and play a few songs on guitar. I don't play them for anyone.

Any given day, you'll find me at secondhand bookstores.

I find that I'm constantly drawing. Even when I'm on holidays or when the baby's sleeping, I'll just start doing some automatic drawing, something like that, and then it will turn into a piece, even though I thought I was just doodling.

When I was a school kid, I used to read lots of comics. This started me on drawing. I would make my own comics about my teddy bear, whose name happened to be Ted.

I love the Prado in Madrid. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston is also great.

I'm always interested in seeing how other artists work. I want to know what their working patterns are. I even like to know if they listen to music when they draw or what time of day they draw, even materials they use, what they research, if they use photographs.

I feel that, for each show I've been doing, there's a character that dominates. Then in the next show it plays a smaller part, and then in the next it has a sort of cameo piece. So they all have their moment.

I don't go digital. I was never good with technology. I didn't have a cellphone until I moved to New York. My gallery was like, 'What? How are we supposed to contact you?'

The process of the body changing and making a whole human fascinates me.

I only learned about Darger a couple years ago, when I kept seeing his name in reference to my artwork, so I looked him up. I wouldn't consider him an influence because I'd already established my current style before learning about him, but I enjoy his work a lot.

I try not to censor myself at all.

I made a tin man costume with tin foil and furnace parts because I thought it would help me be more heartless.

The muted color scheme allows the occasional brighter yellow or red to pop out on the wall in a show, which I like.

I was always doing films, but the ceramics didn't come until later. I did take ceramics in university, which gave me an appetite for the medium, but I couldn't figure out what I wanted to do with it yet.

I had always loved Joseph Cornell and wanted to do something with dioramas.

I make art primarily for myself and to show my friends so I guess it's important to make art that they can connect to.

Yoko Ono is someone who's music I've discovered more recently. The current cd rereleases of her albums all had bonus tracks recorded just with a tape recorder and I'm really into these at the moment because they have a great intimate feel.

I use dull colors in my drawings because I started out using a root beer base because it seemed like an interesting idea and when it turned out that it worked quite well as an ink I started using other colors that would compliment it.

My main influence are the other members of the Royal Art Lodge, we've drawn together enough that we can't help but influence each other.

I wouldn't consider myself an outsider artist because I have a university degree in painting.

I like all kinds of music but some of my all time favorites are P.I.L., Yoko Ono, T-Rex, and Anton Karas.

I'm not a trained dancer in the slightest.

My favorite artists from comics were early ones like Jack Kirby or Steve Ditko who had a real heavy ink style. Captain America, co created by Jack Kirby, was a favorite of mine and I sometimes use an altered version of his costume on some of my characters.

I've been very fortunate in my art career. It's something I would never have expected.

Winnipeg has the largest collection of Inuit art in the world, I believe. They can be quite simple in a great way and often have sparse backgrounds and isolated characters. They often have a really great look to them.

P.I.L. has been a favorite of mine since high school especially there metal box album. The guitarist Keith Levine gets some of the best sounds ever to come out of a guitar. The songs are really free form and experimental and have a heavy dub influence.

I actually prefer the silent black and white version of the Wizard Of Oz from the 20's.

After finishing art school I was applying to stores like Home Depot and Walmart. You know, places where you have to take a urine test before you get your minimum wage. Even those places wouldn't hire me. So I was lucky when I got included in a group show at the Richard Heller gallery that kind of started my art career.

I've been very influenced by Inuit art especially some drawings and watercolors I've seen.

When I was a school kid I used to read lots of comics. This started me on drawing, I would make my own comics about my teddy bear whose name happened to be Ted.