--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes, in a portrait, I go straight…" description: "\"Sometimes, in a portrait, I go straight in with paint onto canvas... Other than riding my bike up and down the hills around here, it is the most danger..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f30/david-cobley-61196_artist_sometimes-in-a-portrait-i-go-straight-in_2655309.jpg" --- # Sometimes, in a portrait, I go straight in with paint onto… ![“Sometimes, in a portrait, I go straight in with paint onto canvas... Other than riding my bike up and down the hills around here, it is the most dangerous thing I do... like tightrope-walking without a safety net!” quote by David Cobley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f30/david-cobley-61196_artist_sometimes-in-a-portrait-i-go-straight-in_2655309.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f30/david-cobley-61196_artist_sometimes-in-a-portrait-i-go-straight-in_2655309.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f30/david-cobley-61196_artist_sometimes-in-a-portrait-i-go-straight-in_2655309.jpg) > “Sometimes, in a portrait, I go straight in with paint onto canvas... Other than riding my bike up and down the hills around here, it is the most dangerous thing I do... like tightrope-walking without a safety net!” [David Cobley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cobley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He compares painting to dangerous, unprotected tightrope walking, emphasizing risk and intensity. **In simple terms:** Painting is like tightrope walking without safety. Key Takeaway Accept risk to create authentic art. Themes artistic risk creativity danger Mood intense adventurous Type artistic personal When to use this quote - studio practice - performance art - creative workshops Key Concepts process analogy personal expression Questions to Reflect On - What risks are worth taking in art? - How do you manage fear while creating? A Different Perspective Risk may be glorified. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Canvas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canvas/) [Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/) [Hills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hills/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Riding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/riding/) [Safety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safety/) [Safety net](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safety-net/) [Up and down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/up-and-down/) ## Related quotes > [I want to make beautiful paintings. But I don't make beautiful paintings by putting beautiful paint on a canvas with a beautiful motif. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-oehlen/i-want-to-make-beautiful-paintings-but-i-don-t-make-beautiful/) Albert Oehlen > [“Paint the canvas of your dreams with the blood of your sweat. You are the Picasso of your own life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhuwan-thapaliya/paint-the-canvas-of-your-dreams-with-the-blood-of-your-sweat-you-are/) [Bhuwan Thapaliya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhuwan-thapaliya/) > [I constantly modify myself. There are downfalls to that because you are constantly trying to figure out who you are, but at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-zhao/i-constantly-modify-myself-there-are-downfalls-to-that-because-you/) [Chloe Zhao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-zhao/) > [It's not just a boring exercise in pushing oil paint around a canvas. It's a way of opening a threshold to an exciting new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-shanks/it-s-not-just-a-boring-exercise-in-pushing-oil-paint-around-a-canvas/) [Nelson Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-shanks/) > [“Your mind is the canvas upon which you are the artist. What will you paint on your canvas today? Will you draw a stick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-murphy/your-mind-is-the-canvas-upon-which-you-are-the-artist-what-will-you/) [James A. Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-murphy/) > [It is the custom of Venice to paint on canvas, either because it does not split and is not worm-eaten, or because pictures can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giorgio-vasari/it-is-the-custom-of-venice-to-paint-on-canvas-either-because-it-does/) [Giorgio Vasari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giorgio-vasari/) > [You just don't know when you get all the paint across the canvas how it will turn out. When you step back after you've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ridley-scott/you-just-don-t-know-when-you-get-all-the-paint-across-the-canvas-how/) [Ridley Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ridley-scott/) > [I love putting paint on canvas, getting lost in the process of painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simonon/i-love-putting-paint-on-canvas-getting-lost-in-the-process-of-painting/) [Paul Simonon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simonon/) > [The most dangerous thing you can do is to take any one impulse of your own nature and set it up as the thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/the-most-dangerous-thing-you-can-do-is-to-take-any-one-impulse-of/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Love is one of the most powerful and most dangerous things I've ever encountered and, within the same breath, one of the most beautiful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iman-shumpert/love-is-one-of-the-most-powerful-and-most-dangerous-things-i-ve-ever/) [Iman Shumpert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iman-shumpert/) > [“One of the most dangerous things that can happen to a child is to kill or torture an animal and not be held responsible.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/one-of-the-most-dangerous-things-that-can-happen-to-a-child-is-to/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“The two most dangerous things in the world are rich people and crazy people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-ellis/the-two-most-dangerous-things-in-the-world-are-rich-people-and-crazy/) [Warren Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-ellis/) > [Knowledge, wealth and power without justice are the dangerous things to mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/knowledge-wealth-and-power-without-justice-are-the-dangerous-things/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I did an action series back in '97, and did very intense training; weapons, knives, hand-to-hand combat. The more an actor trains in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-clarke/i-did-an-action-series-back-in-97-and-did-very-intense-training/) [Melinda Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-clarke/) > [It is a dangerous thing to reform anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/it-is-a-dangerous-thing-to-reform-anyone/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) ## More by David Cobley > [As a boy, I used to look at reproductions of Rembrandt's portraits... the people in his paintings were so real I felt I knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cobley/as-a-boy-i-used-to-look-at-reproductions-of-rembrandt-s-portraits-the/) [David Cobley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cobley/) > [All of us take an interest, to a greater or lesser extent, in what people around us look like, what they are doing, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cobley/all-of-us-take-an-interest-to-a-greater-or-lesser-extent-in-what/) [David Cobley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cobley/) > [Painting someone's portrait is, of course, an impossible task. What an absurd idea to try and distil a human being, the most complex organism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cobley/painting-someone-s-portrait-is-of-course-an-impossible-task-what-an/) [David Cobley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cobley/) > [People fascinate me. Consciously or unconsciously, I have been studying their behavior all my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cobley/people-fascinate-me-consciously-or-unconsciously-i-have-been-studying/) [David Cobley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cobley/) [Explore all 5 David Cobley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cobley/) ## More Artist quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) [Browse all 32,600 Artist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Sometimes, in a portrait, I go straight in with paint onto canvas... Other than riding my bike up and down the hills around here, it is the most dangerous thing I do... like tightrope-walking without a safety net!", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Cobley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cobley/sometimes-in-a-portrait-i-go-straight-in-with-paint-onto-canvas-other/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cobley/sometimes-in-a-portrait-i-go-straight-in-with-paint-onto-canvas-other/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f30/david-cobley-61196_artist_sometimes-in-a-portrait-i-go-straight-in_2655309.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f30/david-cobley-61196_artist_sometimes-in-a-portrait-i-go-straight-in_2655309.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f30/david-cobley-61196_artist_sometimes-in-a-portrait-i-go-straight-in_2655309.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sometimes, in a portrait, I go straight in with paint onto canvas... Other than riding my bike up and down…” — David Cobley", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "David Cobley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cobley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Sometimes, in a portrait, I go...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cobley/sometimes-in-a-portrait-i-go-straight-in-with-paint-onto-canvas-other/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cobley/sometimes-in-a-portrait-i-go-straight-in-with-paint-onto-canvas-other/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```