Art everywhere and I'm off to Florida

The area has been full of shows and I've actually been able to take some time to get involved. That hasn't happened for a long while. I believe I mentioned the "Works on Paper" at Rosewood Center in Kettering--it closes this Friday. On Sunday, March 29, the Gold Palette show at 48 High Street in Dayton is closing. I have a small painting in that show--my granddaughter's portrait. Last Friday I helped register paintings for the Western Ohio Watercolor Society's open juried show at Town & Country Fine Art Gallery in Kettering. Also helped with the clerical work during the judging on Saturday and attended the opening on Sunday. I had almost forgotten how much fun it is to be around artists. My self portrait was accepted for this show, which closes on April 5. There are more shows coming up, but I can't think about them now. I need to pack for a workshop in Plantation, Florida, near Ft. Lauderdale. I'm flying out tomorrow, coming home on Sat. Love those 3-day workshops!

Here's a quote someone gave me recently:

They say, and I'm very willing to believe it, that it is difficult to know yourself, but it isn't very easy to paint yourself, either." --Vincent van Gogh

Anyone want to drink to that?

The Power of Art

Simon Schama's The Power of Art is a weighty tome that my son gave me for Christmas. It's heavy reading, but only in the actual poundage. Schama begins with the rascally Caravaggio and his sublime paintings, working in the backstory of the artist's checkered political and personal life as he paints monumental artworks, many of which include his own portrait as a villain or a victim. The powerful stories of seven more great artists--Bernini, Rembrandt, David, Turner, van Gogh, Picasso, Rothko--all have a twist, which Schama works into the historical timeline in vivid, compelling narration. The book is lavishly illustrated with high quality images that show great detail. I'm working my way back and forth between gentle Emily Carr and these remarkable giants. Fascinating reading.

Color in a picture is like enthusiasm in life. --Vincent van Gogh

I want to touch people with my art. I want them to say ""he feels deeply, he feels tenderly." --Vincent van Gogh

Van Gogh's drawings at the Met

Here's a rare opportunity to see the seldom displayed drawings of van Gogh. Read the review in the New York Times for details on the exhibit opening next Tuesday, October 18:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/11/arts/design/11gogh.html

Vincent van Gogh's illness

I've just finished reading a fascinating book about van Gogh. There are numerous theories on the cause of his erratic behavior and suicide. A cursory search of the Web suggests that research done in the 1980s and 1990s holds the key to his illness--and it wasn't epilepsy, bi-polar disorder or schizophrenia. According to Dr. W.N. Arnold, Professor of Biochemistry at University of Kansas Medical Center and author of Vincent van Gogh: Chemicals, Crises, and Creativity, the illness of Vincent van Gogh was a congenital disease, acute intermittent porphyria (AIP). This debilitating genetic disease is characterized by sensitivity to light and other neurological abnormalities, including psychoses, hallucinations, convulsions and paralysis. The disease can be aggravated by poor nutrition, smoking and use of alcohol. There is substantial evidence that van Gogh drank absinthe and took excessive doses of camphor oil to relieve insomnia and pain. When he was institutionalized, his diet and habits improved and so did his symptoms. It's clear from his letters to his brother that his episodes of illness were extremely painful and something he dreaded, which may have been what led him to suicide. Another theory is that he was in the grip of an attack of AIP and accidentally shot himself, but there are no medical records to support either theory. There are some indications that his brother Theo and sister Wil may also have suffered from AIP. Dr. Arnold maintains, "He was wonderfully creative because of intelligence, talent, and hard work. He was a genius in spite of his illness - not because of it."