---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Usually people start with painting and…"
description: "\"Usually people start with painting and then go on to make installations; my painting came from installation.\" — Michael Craig-Martin"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af6/michael-craig-martin-9157_artist_usually-people-start-with-painting-and-t_2709287.jpg"
---

#  Usually people start with painting and then go on to make…

![“Usually people start with painting and then go on to make installations; my painting came from installation.” quote by Michael Craig-Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af6/michael-craig-martin-9157_artist_usually-people-start-with-painting-and-t_2709287.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af6/michael-craig-martin-9157_artist_usually-people-start-with-painting-and-t_2709287.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af6/michael-craig-martin-9157_artist_usually-people-start-with-painting-and-t_2709287.jpg)

> “Usually people start with painting and then go on to make installations; my painting came from installation.”

[Michael Craig-Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-craig-martin/)

## About This Quote

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

He began with installations, then moved to painting, showing that artistic practice can reverse typical progression.

**In simple terms:** His painting stemmed from installation work.

Key Takeaway

Allow practice to evolve organically.

Themes

art process innovation

Mood

curious experimental

Type

artistic reflective

When to use this quote

- gallery shows
- studio work
- art education
- public commissions

Key Concepts

conceptual art medium fluidity

Questions to Reflect On

- How does changing mediums affect artistic identity?
- What benefits arise from non‑linear creative paths?

A Different Perspective

Audience may resist unconventional trajectories.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Goes on](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goes-on/) [Installation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/installation/) [Installations Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/installations-painting-2794631/) [Make Installations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-installations-2794633/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Painting Came](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting-came-2794632/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Start Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/start-painting-460056/)

## Related quotes

> [When you come up in the art world, whatevers in the air, the issues of the moment, end up becoming part of the working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/when-you-come-up-in-the-art-world-whatevers-in-the-air-the-issues-of/)

[Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/)

> [Weirdly, an image of Adrian’s Love painting came back to me. I thought of the jagged red streak, slashing through the blackness, ripping it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/weirdly-an-image-of-adrian-s-love-painting-came-back-to-me-i-thought/)

[Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/)

> [I had gone to Paris to immerse myself in painting and I came back wholly involved in words and rhythms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-had-gone-to-paris-to-immerse-myself-in-painting-and-i-came-back/)

[Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/)

> [“I was so thankful He gave me this chance to enter a painting, for painting was my weakness. If I could do only two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-a-rooney/i-was-so-thankful-he-gave-me-this-chance-to-enter-a-painting-for/)

[R.A. Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-a-rooney/)

> [I had been doing wall drawings, but they were always black and white. Then in 1993 I painted all the walls of a room…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-craig-martin/i-had-been-doing-wall-drawings-but-they-were-always-black-and-white/)

[Michael Craig-Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-craig-martin/)

> [I have been using the computer as a work aid since the mid-90's. It is extraordinarily well suited to how I think and work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-craig-martin/i-have-been-using-the-computer-as-a-work-aid-since-the-mid-90-s-it-is/)

[Michael Craig-Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-craig-martin/)

> [I look at the character of the exhibition and I treat it as I would a painting or an installation. When I did the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-craig-martin/i-look-at-the-character-of-the-exhibition-and-i-treat-it-as-i-would-a/)

[Michael Craig-Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-craig-martin/)

> [I go out each morning and draw. I can't really start a painting in the morning until I've done a drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-auerbach/i-go-out-each-morning-and-draw-i-can-t-really-start-a-painting-in-the/)

[Frank Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-auerbach/)

> [I almost never start with an image. I start with a painting idea, an impulse, usually derived from my own world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-motherwell/i-almost-never-start-with-an-image-i-start-with-a-painting-idea-an/)

[Robert Motherwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-motherwell/)

> [I'm old fashioned. I really think you should know how to draw before you start painting. I use charcoal and graphite; I put a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-falk/i-m-old-fashioned-i-really-think-you-should-know-how-to-draw-before/)

[Peter Falk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-falk/)

> [“You see, the catch about portrait painting— I've looked into the thing a bit— is that you can't start painting portraits till people come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/you-see-the-catch-about-portrait-painting-i-ve-looked-into-the-thing/)

[P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/)

> [I'll get an inspiration and start painting; then I'll forget everything, everything except how things used to be and how to paint it so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grandma-moses/i-ll-get-an-inspiration-and-start-painting-then-i-ll-forget/)

[Grandma Moses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grandma-moses/)

> [If you start painting yourself into a corner, life starts shutting down. There is always hopefully a next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-wexner/if-you-start-painting-yourself-into-a-corner-life-starts-shutting/)

[Les Wexner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-wexner/)

> [Start a painting with fresh ideas, and then let the painting replace your ideas with its ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-darby-bannard/start-a-painting-with-fresh-ideas-and-then-let-the-painting-replace/)

[Walter Darby Bannard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-darby-bannard/)

> [What most paintings do is give you a path for your eye to move around. The painting actually tells your eye, go here, now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-salle/what-most-paintings-do-is-give-you-a-path-for-your-eye-to-move-around/)

[David Salle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-salle/)

## More by Michael Craig-Martin

> [You can't honour someone by copying them or trying to be exactly like them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-craig-martin/you-can-t-honour-someone-by-copying-them-or-trying-to-be-exactly-like/)

[Michael Craig-Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-craig-martin/)

> [There is a complete difference between art and the art market. Prices are high now for the simple reason that there are people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-craig-martin/there-is-a-complete-difference-between-art-and-the-art-market-prices/)

[Michael Craig-Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-craig-martin/)

> [I had my exhibition of paintings first in Shanghai, and then recently in Wuhan. Wuhan particularly interested me, because I am 1/8 Chinese.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-craig-martin/i-had-my-exhibition-of-paintings-first-in-shanghai-and-then-recently/)

[Michael Craig-Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-craig-martin/)

> [I try to make images that have the immediate presence we take for granted in objects - a chair, a shoe, a book, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-craig-martin/i-try-to-make-images-that-have-the-immediate-presence-we-take-for/)

[Michael Craig-Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-craig-martin/)

> [You can see in my paintings, I've taken away the context, I've taken away the shadows, I've taken away expression, I've taken away the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-craig-martin/you-can-see-in-my-paintings-i-ve-taken-away-the-context-i-ve-taken/)

[Michael Craig-Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-craig-martin/)

> [When I told people that I was going to paint the big room magenta, many people thought that I was crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-craig-martin/when-i-told-people-that-i-was-going-to-paint-the-big-room-magenta/)

[Michael Craig-Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-craig-martin/)

> [I don't like the idea of nationalism, but on the other hand, I do see that there is a difference between British art, German…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-craig-martin/i-don-t-like-the-idea-of-nationalism-but-on-the-other-hand-i-do-see/)

[Michael Craig-Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-craig-martin/)

> [I was poorer than anyone I'd ever met. But it was a great time to be a young artist - I remember it as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-craig-martin/i-was-poorer-than-anyone-i-d-ever-met-but-it-was-a-great-time-to-be-a/)

[Michael Craig-Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-craig-martin/)

> [You can't force yourself to be something you are not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-craig-martin/you-can-t-force-yourself-to-be-something-you-are-not/)

[Michael Craig-Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-craig-martin/)

> [ \[I\] don't want people to see it \[paintings\] as a specific intention on my part. If somebody has that interest in these objects, of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-craig-martin/i-don-t-want-people-to-see-it-paintings-as-a-specific-intention-on-my/)

[Michael Craig-Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-craig-martin/)

> [I've taken away everything I could think of, and yet what remains is enough. These days many more people come to my work, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-craig-martin/i-ve-taken-away-everything-i-could-think-of-and-yet-what-remains-is/)

[Michael Craig-Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-craig-martin/)

> [In the period of '60s to the '90s, British art schools were small, and the number of student was small. The personal contact was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-craig-martin/in-the-period-of-60s-to-the-90s-british-art-schools-were-small-and/)

[Michael Craig-Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-craig-martin/)

> [It is very important to develop the thing that you are naturally good at, that you are truly interested in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-craig-martin/it-is-very-important-to-develop-the-thing-that-you-are-naturally-good/)

[Michael Craig-Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-craig-martin/)

> [The person you admire was true to himself. You can only truly honour him by being true to yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-craig-martin/the-person-you-admire-was-true-to-himself-you-can-only-truly-honour/)

[Michael Craig-Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-craig-martin/)

> [The art world, of all worlds, has room for everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-craig-martin/the-art-world-of-all-worlds-has-room-for-everyone/)

[Michael Craig-Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-craig-martin/)

[Explore all 75 Michael Craig-Martin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-craig-martin/)

## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "Usually people start with painting and then go on to make installations; my painting came from installation.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Michael Craig-Martin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-craig-martin/usually-people-start-with-painting-and-then-go-on-to-make/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Artist"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-craig-martin/usually-people-start-with-painting-and-then-go-on-to-make/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af6/michael-craig-martin-9157_artist_usually-people-start-with-painting-and-t_2709287.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af6/michael-craig-martin-9157_artist_usually-people-start-with-painting-and-t_2709287.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af6/michael-craig-martin-9157_artist_usually-people-start-with-painting-and-t_2709287.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Usually people start with painting and then go on to make installations; my painting came from installation.” — Michael Craig-Martin",
                "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": "Michael Craig-Martin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-craig-martin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Usually people start with painting and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-craig-martin/usually-people-start-with-painting-and-then-go-on-to-make/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-craig-martin/usually-people-start-with-painting-and-then-go-on-to-make/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
