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In fact, I thought my calling was to be a painter.

Well, one always has an instinct to be a painter, and I've done quite a lot of painting at one time or another, though not with any public success.

Until 1954, I'd only ever thought of being a painter, but I earned my money when and where I could. You could say I drifted into writing.

When I left the Royal College, I decided I would only make paintings that I would want to look at myself, that felt close to my life.

I went to art high school and thought I'd be a painter. Unfortunately I didn't finish high school, but that's always been part of my work.

I was too practical to want to be a painter.

I wanted to study painting and become a painter, but I had a huge flip-over in my life when I was about 18 or 19. I was part of a criminal environment; I got arrested and convicted, and I had to start thinking in a new way.

I paint according to the moment and the theme. I don't have any prejudice. Life concerns me.

I get painted quite a bit as a tragic figure because of some of the stuff that's happened in my life.

I always wanted to be an artist, whatever that was, like other chicks want to be stewardesses. I read. I painted. I thought.