"I never have to search for subjects, they come to offer themselves - the right form is not always there immediately and that is why it is good to draw those small sketches beforehand. Otherwise it will become too wild, the work demands great calmness and if I am bound to time - for example when Greet thinks that I should come home earlier - it starts thundering, because peace has disappeared."

“Werkman Archive of Groningen Museum - many text sources about Werkman, but most are in Dutch!”

“This afternoon I just finished a print which I started Monday. We got a revolving door here in the post office and that's such a nice thing to use.”

“I have applied for a pass and I am going to travel through Western Europe for 5 days. start in Cologne and will probably end in Paris. Who cares. In Cologne there is a large exhibition of German painters . Jan W. has been there and animated so much that I'm going there for a while.. ..it seems that Jan wants to come with me. He was so enthusiastic that I suspect to be able to note him as my traveling companion.”

“all pictures of Werkman's suites 'Chassidic Legends' in free download images, Royal Dutch Library, The Hague”

“Last Sunday we made a bicycle tour of 80 km. Through the North along the edge of the province .. ..On such a day I get again a lot of impressions which will reappear in altered forms in due time. Beautiful landscapes, nice small roads, beautiful farms, meadows with horses and cattle, birds, water and a lot of sunshine. Mills and towers and trees are breaking the lines of the flat land..”

“I will keep for you the small drawings that I usually make beforehand. They don't have any artistic value. I just make them to have some grip for the composition of the print..”