What is your inspiration for painting?

"Inspiration is for amateurs - I love to paint and the process inspires me everyday." ~ Chuck Close

American painter and photographer Chuck Close was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2000 and continues to be inspired to paint every day despite a 1988 event that left him severely paralyzed. In the midst of his wonderful career, having just delivered a speech at a ceremony honoring local artists in New York City Charles Thomas "Chuck" Close (born July 5, 1940) suffered a spinal artery collapse. 

His work continues to be in demand by museums and collectors today. Close is an American painter and photographer who achieved fame as a photorealist, through his massive-scale portraits. 

Mark (1978–1979), acrylic on canvas. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York. Detail at right of eye. Mark, a painting that took fourteen months to complete, was constructed from a series of airbrushed layers that imitated CMYK color printing. Compare the picture's integrity close up with the later work below, executed through a different technique.

Lucas (1986–1987), oil & pencil on canvas. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York. Detail at right of eye. The pencil grid and thin undercoat of blue is visible beneath the splotchy "pixels." The painting's subject is fellow artist Lucas Samaras.