Vincent van Gogh has come to live at our house. I have been a van Gogh admirer for many years. Jonathon ordered him from the Getty Museum in Los Angles, California. On the box that he came in are 10 Vincent Van Gogh facts:

1. Born in 1853 in the Netherlands.
2. It was cheaper for him to paint self-portraits than to hire models.
3. He voluntarily admitted himself to a mental asylum.
4. He signed his works with his first name only.
5. In less than 10 years he produced more than 900 works.
6. He only sold one painting during his lifetime.
7. He wrote more than 600 letters to his brother Theo, an art dealer.
8. After a quarrel with his friend Paul Gaugin, he cut off his left ear.
9. He died of a gunshot wound in France.
10. His last words were ‘The sadness will last forever.’

MJ and I visited the St. Louis Art Museum a little over a week ago and were delighted to see a few van Gogh works.

I love a good action figure and Jonathon, Aaron, and MJ know it. Vincent van Goghs’ work is captivating to me. I often wonder if he saw that which he painted in the surreal way he placed the subject on his canvas. We visited the Musee d’Orsay in Paris in 2012. There was a large room in the museum that was dedicated to Vincent exclusively. What a feast for the senses in seeing all those Works gathered in one place! It was extremely hot and very crowded with people…but the experience was to die for…as my buddy Ron often says.

The above paintings are from a visit to the St. Louis Art Museum in 2020. I recall the trepidation that we had at being out in public with our Pandemic still raging…and it is not over.

Action Figures spark my imagination. Art…especially over the past 25 years has been a great comfort to me and a singular enjoyment. Action Figures are a bit like little statues or little people. When I see them I wonder what they are preparing to do…or think…or their personality is. So…I suppose I have always been a fan of art…whether it be the little statues of Action Figures when I was a lad…or the Fine Art that mesmerizes my thoughts as an adult.

Storytelling is art. A good story comes from the author’s imagination being sparked by a simple idea. The ideas come from what surrounds the Storyteller. Faith is art. ‘Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen…’ We all love a good story. Stories keep us on the path of life…and point us toward tomorrow…

Art is life…