Jack Vettriano: "I don’t apologise for what I have painted.."

• "I miei dipinti raccontano le cose che ho fatto e quelle che vorrei poter fare".

• "I painted beach scenes not because I was feeling nice, but because I wanted to get a particular effect of reflection".

• "There are so many lines of that song (Blood on the Tracks, Bob Dylan) where you think. That is a painting".

• "I like to look at a painting and see labor. I don't make a distinction between painting and illustration, and we shouldn't get hung up on arguing the difference" - Jack Vettriano.

• "I live in a world of heartbreak. I just seem to be more creative when in some sort of emotional distress".

• "I think it’s very difficult to be famous in your own backyard.

Of course, the public there love me because they love ‘the story’.

But the establishment, the art world, clearly don’t like the story".

• "Any artist worth the name has to be true to himself.

People have called my work misogynistic, but I can tell you that women are the biggest fans of my work and that I find very interesting.

I don’t apologise for what I have done and what I have painted.

It is more or less autobiographical and I would argue that with anyone.

I am being honest with myself and I’m not prepared to stand in line and be politically correct".

• "Ogni artista degno di questo nome deve essere fedele a se stesso.

La gente ha definito il mio lavoro misogino, ma posso dirti che le donne sono le più grandi fan del mio lavoro e che lo trovo molto interessante.

Non mi scuso per quello che ho fatto e per quello che ho dipinto.

È più o meno autobiografico e lo discuterei con chiunque.

Sono onesto con me stesso e non sono disposto a fare la fila ed essere politicamente corretto".