If my works are of any interest, it is first and foremost because I observe Nature with awe and very closely, and because it awakens a polarity of feeling in me. This is far more important than that virtuosity which constant, dedicated work will almost invariably lead to. I cannot emphasize sufficiently the need for an artist to be honest in his work. Only honesty can give him the high courage he requires to take the work upon him in all modesty.

Henri Matisse