---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A simple equation for the production of…"
description: "\"A simple equation for the production of successful art work is lots of reference material plus lots of art supplies equals lots of painting happiness.\"..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/robert-genn-2179_art_a-simple-equation-for-the-production-of_836632.png"
---

#  A simple equation for the production of successful art…

![“A simple equation for the production of successful art work is lots of reference material plus lots of art supplies equals lots of painting happiness.” quote by Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/robert-genn-2179_art_a-simple-equation-for-the-production-of_836632.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/robert-genn-2179_art_a-simple-equation-for-the-production-of_836632.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/robert-genn-2179_art_a-simple-equation-for-the-production-of_836632.png)

> “A simple equation for the production of successful art work is lots of reference material plus lots of art supplies equals lots of painting happiness.”

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

## About This Quote

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

Successful art stems from abundant references and supplies, leading to joy in painting.

**In simple terms:** Reference and supplies create happy painting.

Key Takeaway

Gather references, stock supplies, paint joyfully.

Themes

creativity art happiness

Mood

enthusiastic inspired

Type

practical motivational

When to use this quote

- studio setup
- creative brainstorming
- art classes
- personal projects

Key Concepts

artistic process resource abundance

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance preparation and spontaneity?
- What reference inspires you most?

A Different Perspective

Too many supplies can overwhelm beginners.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-work/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful/)

## Related quotes

> [If you want to be successful in the art world you've got to look to the art world; you don't make it for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-perry/if-you-want-to-be-successful-in-the-art-world-you-ve-got-to-look-to/)

[Grayson Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-perry/)

> [The secret of a successful art career is to make more art that folks think they need than pieces they just want. When a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-white/the-secret-of-a-successful-art-career-is-to-make-more-art-that-folks/)

[Jack White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-white/)

> [Part of the triumph of modernist poetry is, indeed, to have demonstrated the great extent to which verse can do without explicit meaning and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clement-greenberg/part-of-the-triumph-of-modernist-poetry-is-indeed-to-have/)

[Clement Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clement-greenberg/)

> [Years later, I figured out why he (Ivan Karp) was such a successful art dealer-this may sound strange, but I believe it was because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/years-later-i-figured-out-why-he-ivan-karp-was-such-a-successful-art/)

[Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/)

> [“We consume our art like moths. We gather, momentarily, around wherever the biggest, brightest light seems to be. So these days, the most successful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/we-consume-our-art-like-moths-we-gather-momentarily-around-wherever/)

[Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/)

> [I never thought, "I'm going to be an artist". When I actually began to become successful in the art world I made it a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/i-never-thought-i-m-going-to-be-an-artist-when-i-actually-began-to/)

[Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/)

> [Truth is rhythmical: if it implies stasis, it is platitude. Truth is syncopated: if it supplies all the terms, there is one term too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-grudin/truth-is-rhythmical-if-it-implies-stasis-it-is-platitude-truth-is/)

[Robert Grudin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-grudin/)

> [Christianity supplies a Hell for the people who disagree with you and a Heaven for your friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/christianity-supplies-a-hell-for-the-people-who-disagree-with-you-and/)

[Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/)

> [Through our inattention, we have wasted the years that we might have used to prepare for lessened oil supplies. The next ten years are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-s-deffeyes/through-our-inattention-we-have-wasted-the-years-that-we-might-have/)

[Kenneth S. Deffeyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-s-deffeyes/)

> [We're facing growing climate change, more floods, more droughts, more crisis on a planetary level, and the systems we put in place in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/we-re-facing-growing-climate-change-more-floods-more-droughts-more/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [We are at the moment looking at space as something to be entered by the tremendous thrust of a rocket because that is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/we-are-at-the-moment-looking-at-space-as-something-to-be-entered-by/)

[Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/)

> [I had been a guerrilla leader in World War II. And I used to say that the way to fight the guerrilla was with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-hilsman/i-had-been-a-guerrilla-leader-in-world-war-ii-and-i-used-to-say-that/)

[Roger Hilsman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-hilsman/)

> [God Himself supplies the necessary condition to come to Jesus, that's why it is 'sola gratia,' by grace alone, that we are saved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/god-himself-supplies-the-necessary-condition-to-come-to-jesus-that-s/)

[R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/)

> [The mind supplies the idea of a nation, but what gives this idea its sentimental force is a community of dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-malraux/the-mind-supplies-the-idea-of-a-nation-but-what-gives-this-idea-its/)

[Andre Malraux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-malraux/)

> [Fossil fuels, including oil, are running out and supplies are getting harder to find. If we do nothing, prices will continue to rise and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-powell/fossil-fuels-including-oil-are-running-out-and-supplies-are-getting/)

[Lucy Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-powell/)

## More by Robert Genn

> [We artists give daily thanks for the miracle of our planet and for the inclination and the capability to honour it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/we-artists-give-daily-thanks-for-the-miracle-of-our-planet-and-for/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [Most of my contemporary grant-getters are now doing something other than painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/most-of-my-contemporary-grant-getters-are-now-doing-something-other/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [Pushing yourself to extremes blows out the cobwebs of trusted habit. It shakes up what you know to be reliably safe and substitutes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/pushing-yourself-to-extremes-blows-out-the-cobwebs-of-trusted-habit/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [Keep busy while you are waiting for something to happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/keep-busy-while-you-are-waiting-for-something-to-happen/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [Art is a course in personal development that has no reliable diploma and no known end. The pursuit of art instructs in beauty as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/art-is-a-course-in-personal-development-that-has-no-reliable-diploma/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [Great paintings have gradations, large and small... They serve to lift the subject off the two-dimensionality of the canvas. Gradations are an essential abstract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/great-paintings-have-gradations-large-and-small-they-serve-to-lift/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [Take your brush here and there like a bee in an alpine meadow. In other words, don't laboriously work on or try to finish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/take-your-brush-here-and-there-like-a-bee-in-an-alpine-meadow-in/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [Evolved creators are just as curious about their failures as they are of their successes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/evolved-creators-are-just-as-curious-about-their-failures-as-they-are/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [Art is a path on which we honour our world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/art-is-a-path-on-which-we-honour-our-world/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [With repetition, the alternate approaches become clear, options open.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/with-repetition-the-alternate-approaches-become-clear-options-open/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [When shucked and released from its edges, the windowless subject stands alone as its own thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/when-shucked-and-released-from-its-edges-the-windowless-subject/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [Mountains in all their moods are symbols of something greater, something worth aspiring to. Mountains are powerful, dangerous, beautiful, noble and mysterious. Mountains get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/mountains-in-all-their-moods-are-symbols-of-something-greater/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [Our bodies, apart from their brilliant role as drawing exercises, are the temples of our being. Like the bodies of all fauna, they deserve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/our-bodies-apart-from-their-brilliant-role-as-drawing-exercises-are/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [When I'm in the studio I often hunger for the road. And when away I long for the efficiency of the studio.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/when-i-m-in-the-studio-i-often-hunger-for-the-road-and-when-away-i/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [In life and art it's better to be an enthusiastic amateur than a jaded professional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/in-life-and-art-it-s-better-to-be-an-enthusiastic-amateur-than-a/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

[Explore all 181 Robert Genn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

## More Art quotes

> [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/)

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [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/)

> [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [“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

> [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/)

[Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

> [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 only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/)

[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/)

> [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/)

[Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "A simple equation for the production of successful art work is lots of reference material plus lots of art supplies equals lots of painting happiness.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robert Genn"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/a-simple-equation-for-the-production-of-successful-art-work-is-lots/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/a-simple-equation-for-the-production-of-successful-art-work-is-lots/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/robert-genn-2179_art_a-simple-equation-for-the-production-of_836632.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/robert-genn-2179_art_a-simple-equation-for-the-production-of_836632.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/robert-genn-2179_art_a-simple-equation-for-the-production-of_836632.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A simple equation for the production of successful art work is lots of reference material plus lots of art…” — Robert Genn",
                "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": "Robert Genn",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "A simple equation for the production...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/a-simple-equation-for-the-production-of-successful-art-work-is-lots/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/a-simple-equation-for-the-production-of-successful-art-work-is-lots/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
