“I remember how Osho once gave me such a hit with a Zen stick when he said to me: ‘Perfectionism is a disease!’ What? Perfectionism?! Hadn’t all my Japanese conditioning, even at the art academy, prepared me for just that: ‘Be reasonable, logical, perfect — that is what counts!’ So I had been struggling to better myself continuously. It was only Osho who finally taught me to be spontaneous, to stop trying to be perfect, not to exert myself. Perfection only makes you tense, just relax! And how can one paint a blossom when one is tense. That never works!”

“I had no idea about Premendra’s project. We didn’t conspire and plot how to make a lot of money! No, he just went ahead on his own — that’s what I love! No contract, no stress, just letting everything happen by itself. And the quality is incredible. I don’t even dare touch these prints… you get the feeling the ink is still as fresh as dew. And you know, since the print is the second generation of the painting, it is more objective — and therefore more silent and clearer. As far as I am concerned, this whole thing has sparked off something in me, it helps me to let go of the originals…”