Vincent van Gogh

"We spend our whole lives in unconscious exercise of
the art of expressing our
thoughts with the help of words."

Vincent van Gogh

Did you know that van Gogh only sold ONE painting during his lifetime???

Did you know that van Gogh's life ended when he tragically shot himself in the chest?

Did you know that van Gogh painted Starry Night while residing in an "asylum?"

I never knew that.

I've recently acquired a fascination with the work of Vincent van Gogh. After I selected his painting Iris for my fractured art quilt I have been picking up books at the library , and doing a bit of internet research on van Gogh's life and body of work. It is a triumphant and tragic story -- the story of van Gogh's Life and death. (van Gogh)

With the exception of a few drawing and pottery classes, and one university art appreciation class -- I have no formal "fine arts" training, however I am able to recognize certain styles, movements and genres in the visual arts movement. What I love about Van Gogh's work is his combination of extraordinary color usage and shortened (impressionistic) brush strokes -- which blend together and make his vivid imagery come alive with movement and texture.

I think what inspires me most about his work is that it is so "uniquely" his. We have a wonderful art museum here in Raleigh, and I have to admit that even after umpteen visits, I still have difficulty at times identifying with certainty the work of many particular artists when co-mingled with similar technique. Even with the unique styles of Monet or Matisse, I still confuse their work on occasion, with other artists. But van Gogh -- ah, now his work is so very unique in every conceivable way that it would be impossible to mistake it as belonging to any another.

As a fiber artist, when I look at van Gogh's paintings I can see his bold landscapes emerging from co-mingled pieces of fabric and his brush strokes transformed into thread painted images. Much like what I (we) did with Iris, but on a more intricate level. I can also see his wonderful paintings (like Starry Night) being transferred into magical beaded images, or embroidered images. Sabrina and I were even talking about how some of his work (like Sunflowers) would lend itself wonderfully to carved clay slab landscapes or still lifes -- with the carvings from clay tools simulating his elevated, short and highly textural brush strokes and layering on the color with bold, high gloss glazes. Do you see the endless possibilities here?

Which van Gogh is your favorite? How would you go about interpreting it in "your" medium?