Vija Celmins' drawings and paintings evoke the infinite through their careful examination of limits, a night sky filled with distant stars, seemingly boundless ocean waves, the rocky expanse of the moon's surface. In this interview with Chuck Close, Celmins discusses her childhood as a Latvian refugee, her development as an artist in the late 1960's, and her ongoing interest in drawing, and her love of nature as a place of discovery.

Celmins: “My favorite thing would be to have a show, then take it down and paint it again. Then show it again, then take it down and paint it again just to readjust it a tiny bit. My wish would be to work on one painting for the rest of my life."