--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you're on a highway, viewing the…" description: "\"When you're on a highway, viewing the western U.S. with the mountains and the flatness and the desert and all that, it's very much like my paintings.\" ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e3/edward-ruscha-14231_desert_when-you-re-on-a-highway-viewing-the-wes_2151704.jpg" --- # When you're on a highway, viewing the western U.S. with… ![“When you're on a highway, viewing the western U.S. with the mountains and the flatness and the desert and all that, it's very much like my paintings.” quote by Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e3/edward-ruscha-14231_desert_when-you-re-on-a-highway-viewing-the-wes_2151704.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e3/edward-ruscha-14231_desert_when-you-re-on-a-highway-viewing-the-wes_2151704.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e3/edward-ruscha-14231_desert_when-you-re-on-a-highway-viewing-the-wes_2151704.jpg) > “When you're on a highway, viewing the western U.S. with the mountains and the flatness and the desert and all that, it's very much like my paintings.” [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The landscape of the western U.S. inspires his paintings, blending natural scenery with personal perception. **In simple terms:** Western landscapes inspire his art. Key Takeaway Find inspiration in everyday scenery. Themes nature artistic inspiration place visual perception Mood reflective inspired Type observational creative When to use this quote - travel photography - urban planning - environmental design - creative writing Key Concepts landscape painting personal expression Questions to Reflect On - How does environment shape creativity? - What stories do you see in the desert? A Different Perspective His view may overlook the cultural histories of those places. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Desert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desert/) [Flatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flatness/) [Highways](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/highways/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Western](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/western/) ## Related quotes > [“Love is like a magic...appears even in the middle of the desert like a genie at the "SANDS OF PASSION”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-kakalopoulou/love-is-like-a-magic-appears-even-in-the-middle-of-the-desert-like-a/) [Georgia Kakalopoulou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-kakalopoulou/) > [“The horizon was indistinguishable from the inky black, which fell upon the desert like a sorcerer’s mantle shot through with diamonds. The stars were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-carnes/the-horizon-was-indistinguishable-from-the-inky-black-which-fell-upon/) [V.S. Carnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-carnes/) > [The desert is so vast that no one can know it all. Men go out into the desert, and they are like ships at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-g-le-cl-zio/the-desert-is-so-vast-that-no-one-can-know-it-all-men-go-out-into-the/) [J.M.G. Le Clézio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-g-le-cl-zio/) > [There is such a peace out in the middle of the desert. There's nothing like it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mena-massoud/there-is-such-a-peace-out-in-the-middle-of-the-desert-there-s-nothing/) [Mena Massoud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mena-massoud/) > [“The desire of water is scribed across the desert like graffiti, until all that is left of the desert is water… In the scream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-childs/the-desire-of-water-is-scribed-across-the-desert-like-graffiti-until/) [Craig Childs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-childs/) > [There is no desert like being friendless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baltasar-gracian/there-is-no-desert-like-being-friendless/) [Baltasar Gracian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baltasar-gracian/) > [I can often tell when drawings are done from photographs, because you can tell what they miss out, what the camera misses out: usually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hockney/i-can-often-tell-when-drawings-are-done-from-photographs-because-you/) [David Hockney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hockney/) > [ Anaximenes and Anaxagoras and Democritus say that its \[the earth's\] flatness is responsible for it staying still: for it does not cut the air… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/anaximenes-and-anaxagoras-and-democritus-say-that-its-the-earth-s/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [“The present is like the flatness of Earth: an illusion. We”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlo-rovelli/the-present-is-like-the-flatness-of-earth-an-illusion-we/) [Carlo Rovelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlo-rovelli/) > [ If you look at the image \[ Portrait of the Artist as a Shadow of His Former Self \], it treads on a kind… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/if-you-look-at-the-image-portrait-of-the-artist-as-a-shadow-of-his/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [“If flatness were funny, a dinner plate would be hilarious.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-moers/if-flatness-were-funny-a-dinner-plate-would-be-hilarious/) [Walter Moers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-moers/) > [All that stuff about flatness - it's this idea that painting is a specialized discipline and that modernist painting increasingly refers to painting and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-martin/all-that-stuff-about-flatness-it-s-this-idea-that-painting-is-a/) [Chris Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-martin/) > [I call to mind flatness and dampness; and then all is madness - the madness of a memory which busies itself among forbidden things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/i-call-to-mind-flatness-and-dampness-and-then-all-is-madness-the/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [To women who please me only by their faces, I am the very devil when I find out they have neither souls nor hearts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/to-women-who-please-me-only-by-their-faces-i-am-the-very-devil-when-i/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [When I was a kid in London there was just something about the light and there's something about the way London went onto film…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/when-i-was-a-kid-in-london-there-was-just-something-about-the-light/) [William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/) ## More by Edward Ruscha > [I don't do social media of any kind. If I did, I may as well join Scientology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/i-don-t-do-social-media-of-any-kind-if-i-did-i-may-as-well-join/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [When I paint a picture of a house, that goes back to my roots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/when-i-paint-a-picture-of-a-house-that-goes-back-to-my-roots/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [Perhaps there would be more anxiety in my work if I lived in New York.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/perhaps-there-would-be-more-anxiety-in-my-work-if-i-lived-in-new-york/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [I wasn't captivated by the romance of Paris or London. I love visiting, but I'd rather be in L.A.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/i-wasn-t-captivated-by-the-romance-of-paris-or-london-i-love-visiting/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [I think the most interesting stuff comes from people who've just got nothing to lose. You know, let's kamikaze this thing - just throw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/i-think-the-most-interesting-stuff-comes-from-people-who-ve-just-got/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [Yes, there's a certain power to a photograph. The camera has a way of disorienting a person, if it wants to and, for me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/yes-there-s-a-certain-power-to-a-photograph-the-camera-has-a-way-of/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [ The subject \[of Los Angeles\] became a general metaphor for anxiety and the speed of modern life. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/the-subject-of-los-angeles-became-a-general-metaphor-for-anxiety-and/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [As an artist, I gotta stand up to my own work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/as-an-artist-i-gotta-stand-up-to-my-own-work/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [I'm very stodgy. I'm always looking at old photos of California and Los Angeles, knowing that what I'm looking at is now full of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/i-m-very-stodgy-i-m-always-looking-at-old-photos-of-california-and/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [There was no hope for any kind of big opportunity. I'm not saying it was hopeless. The big pay-off was to work as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/there-was-no-hope-for-any-kind-of-big-opportunity-i-m-not-saying-it/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [I believe in intuition and approaching things as instant gratification. Just do the things you want to do, make the kind of pictures you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/i-believe-in-intuition-and-approaching-things-as-instant/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [My friends and neighbors were always fixing their cars. Soldiers who felt restless wanted to work on something, and they understood cars. Me, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/my-friends-and-neighbors-were-always-fixing-their-cars-soldiers-who/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [I have no social agenda with my work. I'm deadpan about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/i-have-no-social-agenda-with-my-work-i-m-deadpan-about-it/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [ I just use \[the camera\]. I just pick it up like an axe when I've got to chop down a tree. I pick up… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/i-just-use-the-camera-i-just-pick-it-up-like-an-axe-when-i-ve-got-to/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [I knew I wanted to be some kind of artist from about 12. I met a neighbour who drew cartoons, and I had an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/i-knew-i-wanted-to-be-some-kind-of-artist-from-about-12-i-met-a/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) [Explore all 47 Edward Ruscha quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) ## More Desert quotes > [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“And now you will ask me about the musicians that played for the jackalope wives. Well, if you can find a place where they’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-vernon/and-now-you-will-ask-me-about-the-musicians-that-played-for-the/) [Ursula Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-vernon/) > [Some people are like ants. Give them a warm day and a piece of ground and they start digging. There the similarity ends. Ants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-borland/some-people-are-like-ants-give-them-a-warm-day-and-a-piece-of-ground/) [Hal Borland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-borland/) > [I do spend a lot of weekends on the road. I have to pace myself. It can be pretty busy, but I'm not out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-sinise/i-do-spend-a-lot-of-weekends-on-the-road-i-have-to-pace-myself-it-can/) [Gary Sinise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-sinise/) > [I did not support Operation Desert Fox.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/i-did-not-support-operation-desert-fox/) [Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/) > [“The cactus thrives in the desert while the fern thrives in the wetland. The fool will try to plant them in the same flowerbox.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/the-cactus-thrives-in-the-desert-while-the-fern-thrives-in-the/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [I am sympathetic to developing countries’ concerns: because of our emissions it’s their crops that will disappear; because of our inaction, it’s their fields…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/i-am-sympathetic-to-developing-countries-concerns-because-of-our/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [Use every man according to his desert and who should 'scape whipping? Use them after your own honor and dignity, the less they deserve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/use-every-man-according-to-his-desert-and-who-should-scape-whipping/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [There is nothing in the desert and no man needs nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david/there-is-nothing-in-the-desert-and-no-man-needs-nothing/) [David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david/) > [Who’s to say that it takes something like a drug to mess with your perception of reality? How did Hitler deceive a nation? How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dekker/who-s-to-say-that-it-takes-something-like-a-drug-to-mess-with-your/) [Ted Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dekker/) > [God hath work to do in this world; and to desert it because of its difficulties and entanglements, is to cast off His authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-owen/god-hath-work-to-do-in-this-world-and-to-desert-it-because-of-its/) [John Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-owen/) > [“If you build a road in the desert and then leave it to its fate, the desert sands will swallow that road! The same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-you-build-a-road-in-the-desert-and-then-leave-it-to-its-fate-the/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Hulkamania is like a single grain of sand in the Sahara desert that is Nacho Madness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/macho-man-randy-savage/hulkamania-is-like-a-single-grain-of-sand-in-the-sahara-desert-that/) [Macho Man Randy Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/macho-man-randy-savage/) > [“The Estate of Solemnity By right, it reigns in its places- in long beards Of spanish moss hanging from a live oak On a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pattiann-rogers/the-estate-of-solemnity-by-right-it-reigns-in-its-places-in-long/) [Pattiann Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pattiann-rogers/) > [The earth itself assures us it is a living entity. Deep below surface one can hear its slow pulse, feel its vibrant rhythm. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-waters/the-earth-itself-assures-us-it-is-a-living-entity-deep-below-surface/) [Frank Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-waters/) [Browse all 1,675 Desert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desert/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When you're on a highway, viewing the western U.S. with the mountains and the flatness and the desert and all that, it's very much like my paintings.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edward Ruscha" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/when-you-re-on-a-highway-viewing-the-western-u-s-with-the-mountains/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Desert" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/when-you-re-on-a-highway-viewing-the-western-u-s-with-the-mountains/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e3/edward-ruscha-14231_desert_when-you-re-on-a-highway-viewing-the-wes_2151704.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e3/edward-ruscha-14231_desert_when-you-re-on-a-highway-viewing-the-wes_2151704.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e3/edward-ruscha-14231_desert_when-you-re-on-a-highway-viewing-the-wes_2151704.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When you're on a highway, viewing the western U.S. with the mountains and the flatness and the desert and…” — Edward Ruscha", "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": "Edward Ruscha", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When you're on a highway, viewing...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/when-you-re-on-a-highway-viewing-the-western-u-s-with-the-mountains/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/when-you-re-on-a-highway-viewing-the-western-u-s-with-the-mountains/#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 } } ] } ```