A biography for Mickalene Thomashasn’t been written yet.
“To see yourself, and for others to see you, is a form of validation. I'm interested in that very mysterious and mystical way we relate to each other in the world.”
“When you look at death, it makes you understand the importance of the moment when you have life and death in front of you, and you witness seeing someone deteriorating in front of you - it's an overwhelming experience. If you don't learn from that, I don't know what else you're gonna learn.”
“I don't think an artist should always know why they gravitate toward something or someone. You are just drawn to things, and that's OK.”
“With photography, you've captured a moment time - it's that moment only - and in painting, you play with it; you manipulate how time is presented. It's about fantasy and illusion and the creation of desire.”
“In my family, growing up, the women were always the ones who were powerful, and they exuded this charisma of empowerment that I hold onto and always remember. I had some difficult times, but these strong women were always a constant.”
“I've always enjoyed film, but I'm a little afraid of it because I think it is very powerful as a medium. You have the visuals, the sound, the colors, all of these things coming at you, and they transport you physically so it becomes this surround sound, virtual reality.”
“What's always intriguing to me is transforming my subjects into a character from another era.”
“You know, the emotion - it comes in my art. The kind of person I am, I can deal with things, and I do and I can, but I'm not a crier.”
“I would have loved to paint Eartha Kitt, but she's no longer here. I'm so glad I had the chance to meet her.”
“I remember when I first saw Whoopi Goldberg doing standup, and she was wearing a sheet on her head, basically pretending to be this little white girl with long luxurious blonde hair. Everyone can relate to that. It's an oral history of black women's lives through laughter.”
“I'm really interested in women, particularly the kind of black woman who has overcome obstacles in her life and transformed.”
“Sometimes I think it's the responsibility of the artist to reveal a little more of themselves.”
“I look to a lot of artists who don't focus on one medium, who you can't pigeonhole.”