---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes, at a certain point, the…"
description: "\"Sometimes, at a certain point, the painting seems to have painted itself without my help - what I have called the 'eureka' moment when a sudden daring ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/405/joseph-plaskett-32567_artist_sometimes-at-a-certain-point-the-paintin_1548262.png"
---

#  Sometimes, at a certain point, the painting seems to have…

![“Sometimes, at a certain point, the painting seems to have painted itself without my help - what I have called the 'eureka' moment when a sudden daring intervention has worked a miracle.” quote by Joseph Plaskett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/405/joseph-plaskett-32567_artist_sometimes-at-a-certain-point-the-paintin_1548262.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/405/joseph-plaskett-32567_artist_sometimes-at-a-certain-point-the-paintin_1548262.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/405/joseph-plaskett-32567_artist_sometimes-at-a-certain-point-the-paintin_1548262.png)

> “Sometimes, at a certain point, the painting seems to have painted itself without my help - what I have called the 'eureka' moment when a sudden daring intervention has worked a miracle.”

[Joseph Plaskett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-plaskett/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Art can feel autonomous, as if the work creates itself during a breakthrough moment.

**In simple terms:** Art sometimes paints itself.

Key Takeaway

Embrace spontaneous creativity.

Themes

art process eureka

Mood

inspired reflective

Type

artistic motivational

When to use this quote

- painting
- writing
- design projects

Key Concepts

flow state intuition

Questions to Reflect On

- When have you experienced a self‑painting moment?
- How can you balance intuition with technique?

A Different Perspective

Reliance on “eureka” may undervalue disciplined practice.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Daring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daring/) [Intervention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intervention/) [Miracle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miracle/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/)

## Related quotes

> [“I’ve found it takes at least two and generally three things to alter the course of a life: You slip around the truth once,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hamilton/i-ve-found-it-takes-at-least-two-and-generally-three-things-to-alter/)

[Jane Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hamilton/)

> [a self-awareness moment. All of a sudden everything he has done comes flashing into his mind, a self-criticism that is unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-seymour-hoffman/a-self-awareness-moment-all-of-a-sudden-everything-he-has-done-comes/)

[Philip Seymour Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-seymour-hoffman/)

> [The eureka moment is two reasons why the output-based standard should be adopted: common sense and accountability. Input-based standards don't encourage energy diversity; they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-luntz/the-eureka-moment-is-two-reasons-why-the-output-based-standard-should/)

[Frank Luntz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-luntz/)

> [“I wanna have a Eureka moment,” he said, the way another kid might have expressed longing for a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. She pressed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-wanna-have-a-eureka-moment-he-said-the-way-another-kid-might-have/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“Most of us have one BIG IDEA at some point in our lives. That Eureka! moment. It comes to us all in different ways,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-james/most-of-us-have-one-big-idea-at-some-point-in-our-lives-that-eureka/)

[Peter James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-james/)

> [“That’s the eureka moment, when suddenly you know something. Your hands sweat, you get into all kinds of symptoms of tremendous excitement. First of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-max-lederman/that-s-the-eureka-moment-when-suddenly-you-know-something-your-hands/)

Leon Max Lederman

> [The cliché of the 'Eureka!' moment easily obscures the doubt and uncertainty that are also part of the discovery process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-maslin/the-clich-of-the-eureka-moment-easily-obscures-the-doubt-and/)

[Janet Maslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-maslin/)

> [I don't believe in the sort of "Eureka!" moment idea. I think it's a myth. I'm very suspicious that actually Archimedes had been thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-berners-lee/i-don-t-believe-in-the-sort-of-eureka-moment-idea-i-think-it-s-a-myth/)

[Tim Berners-Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-berners-lee/)

> [Candidate Trump held out his hand to Vladimir Putin. He rejected further U.S. intervention in Syria other than to smash ISIS.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/candidate-trump-held-out-his-hand-to-vladimir-putin-he-rejected/)

[Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/)

> [In 1953, the United States played a significant role in orchestrating the overthrow of Iran's popular prime minister, Mohammed Mossadegh. The Eisenhower administration believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/in-1953-the-united-states-played-a-significant-role-in-orchestrating/)

[Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/)

> [The United States can certainly defeat North Vietnam, but the United States cannot defeat a guerrilla war which is being raged from a sanctuary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zbigniew-brzezinski/the-united-states-can-certainly-defeat-north-vietnam-but-the-united/)

[Zbigniew Brzezinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zbigniew-brzezinski/)

> [Every second the Universe divides into possibilities and most of those possibilities never happen. It is not a uni-verse -- there is more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/every-second-the-universe-divides-into-possibilities-and-most-of/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [An excessive preponderance of an idealistic mood is harmful to society: it creates daydreaming, political Don Quixotism, hope for heavenly intervention. This is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henryk-sienkiewicz/an-excessive-preponderance-of-an-idealistic-mood-is-harmful-to/)

[Henryk Sienkiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henryk-sienkiewicz/)

> [My motto is "Unite now, today if you can; fight if you must. But in every case avoid British intervention."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/my-motto-is-unite-now-today-if-you-can-fight-if-you-must-but-in-every/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [I'm super-obsessed with 'Intervention.' I wrote a song about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/i-m-super-obsessed-with-intervention-i-wrote-a-song-about-it/)

[Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/)

## More by Joseph Plaskett

> [All that is happening in art is part of a process of exploration and discovery. I hope to live for a few more years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-plaskett/all-that-is-happening-in-art-is-part-of-a-process-of-exploration-and/)

[Joseph Plaskett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-plaskett/)

> [No artist, if he has original talent, can paint like another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-plaskett/no-artist-if-he-has-original-talent-can-paint-like-another/)

[Joseph Plaskett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-plaskett/)

> [There is my love... of the young artists of my country who can carry on the dreams and ideals into the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-plaskett/there-is-my-love-of-the-young-artists-of-my-country-who-can-carry-on/)

[Joseph Plaskett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-plaskett/)

> [An aged painter cannot help but accept the fact that his work belongs in the past. Younger painters have leaped into the phenomenon called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-plaskett/an-aged-painter-cannot-help-but-accept-the-fact-that-his-work-belongs/)

[Joseph Plaskett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-plaskett/)

> [I don't want to always be doing the same old thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-plaskett/i-don-t-want-to-always-be-doing-the-same-old-thing/)

[Joseph Plaskett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-plaskett/)

> [Art is a celebration of life, intended by the artist to put the spectator in touch with the divine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-plaskett/art-is-a-celebration-of-life-intended-by-the-artist-to-put-the/)

[Joseph Plaskett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-plaskett/)

> [All paintings start with concept, which is another word for image or imagination. The mistake is to isolate the concept as if the idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-plaskett/all-paintings-start-with-concept-which-is-another-word-for-image-or/)

[Joseph Plaskett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-plaskett/)

> [My zest for exhibition has over a long career become increasingly a mania. The ecstasy I feel as I survey work I have done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-plaskett/my-zest-for-exhibition-has-over-a-long-career-become-increasingly-a/)

[Joseph Plaskett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-plaskett/)

> [The art of painting is entering a new golden age. It is in no danger of becoming obsolete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-plaskett/the-art-of-painting-is-entering-a-new-golden-age-it-is-in-no-danger/)

[Joseph Plaskett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-plaskett/)

> [Impressionism came about because it suddenly became apparent that pure colours mix in the eye in a more dazzling way than they have ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-plaskett/impressionism-came-about-because-it-suddenly-became-apparent-that/)

[Joseph Plaskett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-plaskett/)

> [I had always made pictures as I thought I saw the world, focusing on what lay in front, but this is not how one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-plaskett/i-had-always-made-pictures-as-i-thought-i-saw-the-world-focusing-on/)

[Joseph Plaskett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-plaskett/)

> [The art that I make and that I see others make confirms the miracle of being alive. Almost every day I live in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-plaskett/the-art-that-i-make-and-that-i-see-others-make-confirms-the-miracle/)

[Joseph Plaskett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-plaskett/)

> [Each painting is a plunge into the unknown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-plaskett/each-painting-is-a-plunge-into-the-unknown/)

[Joseph Plaskett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-plaskett/)

> [Cubism came about because, in the process of analyzing form, something that lay in the form, a plane, could be lifted out to float…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-plaskett/cubism-came-about-because-in-the-process-of-analyzing-form-something/)

[Joseph Plaskett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-plaskett/)

[Explore all 15 Joseph Plaskett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-plaskett/)

## 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, at a certain point, the painting seems to have painted itself without my help - what I have called the 'eureka' moment when a sudden daring intervention has worked a miracle.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Joseph Plaskett"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-plaskett/sometimes-at-a-certain-point-the-painting-seems-to-have-painted/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Artist"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-plaskett/sometimes-at-a-certain-point-the-painting-seems-to-have-painted/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/405/joseph-plaskett-32567_artist_sometimes-at-a-certain-point-the-paintin_1548262.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/405/joseph-plaskett-32567_artist_sometimes-at-a-certain-point-the-paintin_1548262.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/405/joseph-plaskett-32567_artist_sometimes-at-a-certain-point-the-paintin_1548262.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Sometimes, at a certain point, the painting seems to have painted itself without my help - what I have…” — Joseph Plaskett",
                "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": "Joseph Plaskett",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-plaskett/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Sometimes, at a certain point, the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-plaskett/sometimes-at-a-certain-point-the-painting-seems-to-have-painted/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-plaskett/sometimes-at-a-certain-point-the-painting-seems-to-have-painted/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
