--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Art has to be incredibly layered…" description: "\"Art has to be incredibly layered. Symbols, signifiers... layers that relate. Combine signifiers with more abstract notions. Push! Vary lines.\" — Kay Wa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39f/kay-walkingstick-27924_abstract_art-has-to-be-incredibly-layered-symbols_3157879.jpg" --- # Art has to be incredibly layered. Symbols, signifiers… ![“Art has to be incredibly layered. Symbols, signifiers... layers that relate. Combine signifiers with more abstract notions. Push! Vary lines.” quote by Kay WalkingStick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39f/kay-walkingstick-27924_abstract_art-has-to-be-incredibly-layered-symbols_3157879.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39f/kay-walkingstick-27924_abstract_art-has-to-be-incredibly-layered-symbols_3157879.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39f/kay-walkingstick-27924_abstract_art-has-to-be-incredibly-layered-symbols_3157879.jpg) > “Art has to be incredibly layered. Symbols, signifiers... layers that relate. Combine signifiers with more abstract notions. Push! Vary lines.” [Kay WalkingStick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-walkingstick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art requires multiple layers of meaning, using symbols and abstract ideas to create depth and provoke thought. **In simple terms:** Layered symbols create deep artistic meaning. Key Takeaway Use symbols and abstraction to enrich art. Themes art symbolism creativity Mood inspirational critical Type philosophical artistic When to use this quote - Painting - graphic design - education - exhibitions Key Concepts Semiotics visual hierarchy Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure clarity in layered art? - What symbols resonate most with audiences? A Different Perspective Overcomplication can alienate viewers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abstract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Layered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/layered/) [Layered Symbols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/layered-symbols-5695945/) [Layers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/layers/) [Layers Relate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/layers-relate-5695946/) [Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lines/) [Notion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notion/) [Relate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relate/) [Signifiers Abstract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/signifiers-abstract-5695947/) [Signifiers Layers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/signifiers-layers-5695944/) [Symbols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/symbols/) [Vary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vary/) ## Related quotes > [I came from years and years in the direct marketing industry where everything is layered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-randolph/i-came-from-years-and-years-in-the-direct-marketing-industry-where/) [Marc Randolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-randolph/) > [“...flaky, crisp, layered, and multi-textured. Which was me. Sweet and sour. Soft and crisp. I discovered that these varied elements, that for so long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kergan-edwards-stout/flaky-crisp-layered-and-multi-textured-which-was-me-sweet-and-sour/) [Kergan Edwards-Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kergan-edwards-stout/) > [I get to do some unbelievably layered things. The material that I'm given is so complex, and I'm so grateful for it, so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tituss-burgess/i-get-to-do-some-unbelievably-layered-things-the-material-that-i-m/) [Tituss Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tituss-burgess/) > [Sometimes people are layered like that. There's something totally different underneath than what's on the surface. But sometimes, there's a third, even deeper level,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/sometimes-people-are-layered-like-that-there-s-something-totally/) [Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/) > [I have always been far more interested in sound than technique, and how sounds work together, how they can be layered. I think electronic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-numan/i-have-always-been-far-more-interested-in-sound-than-technique-and/) [Gary Numan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-numan/) > [The more layered, more complicated the role... The more I enjoy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nushrat-bharucha/the-more-layered-more-complicated-the-role-the-more-i-enjoy-it/) [Nushrat Bharucha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nushrat-bharucha/) > [Generally speaking, I don't think people know a great deal about the Viking culture, apart from the label that is usually attached to them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-byrne/generally-speaking-i-don-t-think-people-know-a-great-deal-about-the/) [Gabriel Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-byrne/) > [I write almost every single part of my songs, even the actual drum parts sometimes, whether they be simple or layered with many different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaki-king/i-write-almost-every-single-part-of-my-songs-even-the-actual-drum/) [Kaki King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaki-king/) > [There is no way that the Fourth Gospel was written by John Zebedee or by any of the disciples of Jesus. The author of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/there-is-no-way-that-the-fourth-gospel-was-written-by-john-zebedee-or/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [What we were trying to do differently was this sort of layered sound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-may/what-we-were-trying-to-do-differently-was-this-sort-of-layered-sound/) [Brian May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-may/) > [I like the idea that I come into a room, and you think you're dealing with one thing, but the truth is I'm very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annabelle-wallis/i-like-the-idea-that-i-come-into-a-room-and-you-think-you-re-dealing/) [Annabelle Wallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annabelle-wallis/) > [All too often, female characters, in particular, aren't multi-layered enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bradley/all-too-often-female-characters-in-particular-aren-t-multi-layered/) [Ruth Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bradley/) > [I love watching Edie Falco; she's so layered, and her work is so great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-greer/i-love-watching-edie-falco-she-s-so-layered-and-her-work-is-so-great/) [Judy Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-greer/) > [“We went for a walk on College Street and popped into Coco's for a snack. There, I revealed my future, much like the exquisitely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-rosen/we-went-for-a-walk-on-college-street-and-popped-into-coco-s-for-a/) [Amy Rosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-rosen/) > [I want to soundtrack people's layered feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/i-want-to-soundtrack-people-s-layered-feelings/) [Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) ## More by Kay WalkingStick > [Do you spend a couple of hours every day in your studio?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-walkingstick/do-you-spend-a-couple-of-hours-every-day-in-your-studio/) [Kay WalkingStick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-walkingstick/) > [Ya wanna be an artist? Make art!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-walkingstick/ya-wanna-be-an-artist-make-art/) [Kay WalkingStick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-walkingstick/) > [State what you actually see in someone's work first: objects/space/color/directional flow - then content. Interpret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-walkingstick/state-what-you-actually-see-in-someone-s-work-first-objects-space/) [Kay WalkingStick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-walkingstick/) > [Avoid methodology. If what you're doing is about technique, that's not art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-walkingstick/avoid-methodology-if-what-you-re-doing-is-about-technique-that-s-not/) [Kay WalkingStick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-walkingstick/) > [It is important to know: 1) You are OK just the way you are. You need a strong stomach, a tough hide, and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-walkingstick/it-is-important-to-know-1-you-are-ok-just-the-way-you-are-you-need-a/) [Kay WalkingStick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-walkingstick/) > [Get rid of your little darlings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-walkingstick/get-rid-of-your-little-darlings/) [Kay WalkingStick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-walkingstick/) > [Be of good cheer, miracles do happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-walkingstick/be-of-good-cheer-miracles-do-happen/) [Kay WalkingStick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-walkingstick/) > [Collect stimulus, draw them. Focus, find out as much as you can. Stimulate yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-walkingstick/collect-stimulus-draw-them-focus-find-out-as-much-as-you-can/) [Kay WalkingStick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-walkingstick/) > [Journal what you love, what you hate, what's in your head, what's important. Journaling organizes your thoughts; allows you to see things in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-walkingstick/journal-what-you-love-what-you-hate-what-s-in-your-head-what-s/) [Kay WalkingStick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-walkingstick/) > [When in doubt, make a red painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-walkingstick/when-in-doubt-make-a-red-painting/) [Kay WalkingStick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-walkingstick/) > [I expect of abstraction as much as what imagery does for me... to carry meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-walkingstick/i-expect-of-abstraction-as-much-as-what-imagery-does-for-me-to-carry/) [Kay WalkingStick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-walkingstick/) > [Don't be afraid of expressing what you really mean in your art, what you really feel. Say it visually, as strongly as you can.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-walkingstick/don-t-be-afraid-of-expressing-what-you-really-mean-in-your-art-what/) [Kay WalkingStick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-walkingstick/) > [Real success is making art your whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-walkingstick/real-success-is-making-art-your-whole-life/) [Kay WalkingStick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-walkingstick/) > [Tell the viewer something that they need to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-walkingstick/tell-the-viewer-something-that-they-need-to-know/) [Kay WalkingStick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-walkingstick/) > [Encaustic gives markmaking a dimension... additive/subtractive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-walkingstick/encaustic-gives-markmaking-a-dimension-additive-subtractive/) [Kay WalkingStick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-walkingstick/) [Explore all 20 Kay WalkingStick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-walkingstick/) ## More Abstract quotes > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Wisdom is the abstract of the past, but beauty is the promise of the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wisdom-is-the-abstract-of-the-past-but-beauty-is-the-promise-of-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Where human eyes have never seen, where human beings have never been, I build a world of abstract dreams, and I wait for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-ra/where-human-eyes-have-never-seen-where-human-beings-have-never-been-i/) [Sun Ra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-ra/) > [A little too abstract, a little too wise, It is time for us to kiss the earth again, It is time to let the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robinson-jeffers/a-little-too-abstract-a-little-too-wise-it-is-time-for-us-to-kiss-the/) [Robinson Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robinson-jeffers/) > [“Happy is very abstract, you can't touch it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-veal/happy-is-very-abstract-you-can-t-touch-it/) [Julius Veal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-veal/) > [Abstract Expressionism was invented by New York drunks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/abstract-expressionism-was-invented-by-new-york-drunks/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [The more horrible this world (as today, for instance), the more abstract our art, whereas a happy world brings forth an art of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-klee/the-more-horrible-this-world-as-today-for-instance-the-more-abstract/) [Paul Klee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-klee/) > [Describing comic sensibility is near impossible. It's sort of an abstract silliness, that sometimes the joke isn't the star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/describing-comic-sensibility-is-near-impossible-it-s-sort-of-an/) [Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) > [For people of color - especially African Americans - the idea that racist cops might frame members of their community is no abstract notion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/for-people-of-color-especially-african-americans-the-idea-that-racist/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [The word of the Lord never comes to us as an opinion, no attempt is made to support it by argument, it comes as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-w-ivins/the-word-of-the-lord-never-comes-to-us-as-an-opinion-no-attempt-is/) [Anthony W. Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-w-ivins/) > [A mobile is an abstract sculpture made chiefly out of sheet metal, steel rods, wire and wood. Some or all of these elements move,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-calder/a-mobile-is-an-abstract-sculpture-made-chiefly-out-of-sheet-metal/) [Alexander Calder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-calder/) > [I'm this superphilosophical kind of person. Stuck in a prison of abstract ideas and overpowering emotions, I have this personality that makes it really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natsuo-kirino/i-m-this-superphilosophical-kind-of-person-stuck-in-a-prison-of/) [Natsuo Kirino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natsuo-kirino/) > [Future lawyers should be more aware that law is not a system of abstract logic, but the web of arrangements, rooted in history but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-frankfurter/future-lawyers-should-be-more-aware-that-law-is-not-a-system-of/) [Felix Frankfurter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-frankfurter/) > [The trouble is that when you read criticisms about the other films that I've made you get the impression that they're all about themes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/the-trouble-is-that-when-you-read-criticisms-about-the-other-films/) [Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/) > [Painting is... a richer language than words... Painting operates through signs which are not abstract and incorporeal like words. The signs of painting are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-dubuffet/painting-is-a-richer-language-than-words-painting-operates-through/) [Jean Dubuffet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-dubuffet/) [Browse all 1,403 Abstract quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Art has to be incredibly layered. Symbols, signifiers... layers that relate. Combine signifiers with more abstract notions. Push! 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