'When I'm in Montauk, which is 2 1/2 hours from New York City, I wake up in the morning and go surfing - if it's early enough and there are some waves. I'm usually done by 10am; 10.30 if I'm really enjoying myself.
After I get home, I have some breakfast and I go swimming then I walk out to the backyard, where I have a studio. I usually paint in the afternoon, when it's cooler.
As it gets dark, I like the way the light changes. If I've been working on something at night, I start work on it the next morning.
At the moment my days are full of appointments because I'm touring with my show and I'm trying to co-operate with other people. But in general I try not to make any plans. In Italy last week, I was working on a script. There was also a screening for the last film I made, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. I had never met the distributor so I had a cup of coffee with him.
When I was editing the movie in Paris, I rented a house. There were big windows and they let in plenty of daylight. When I came home from work, I would paint or draw on the floor.
I make things and people buy them. They are not a commodity. I guess to some people they must be, but I don't paint them for the money; I paint them to see them. It's always a dumb statement when people say, 'Painting is dead' [rolls his eyes]. We've heard that before. They should say, 'Painting is hard.' It's hard to do and people think it's dead because they don't know how to do it. But for those who understand art, it's alive and well.
I make movies I think I know something about. I'm not sure I really do, but I've usually figured it out by the time I'm done with it.
