Vincent Van Gogh

"...Now I as a painter shall never amount to anything important, I am absolutely sure of it."

~ Vincent Van Gogh
Letter to brother Theo, May 1889

"Nineteenth-century Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh painted for only eight years. During that time, he was scorned or, at best, ignored; only one of his paintings was sold during his lifetime. And yet, although plagued by self-doubt, he instinctively viewed the world through the eyes of an artist. The resulting paintings and drawings stand as a powerful and lyrical testament to the ultimate triumph of this brilliant man."

~ Pascal Bonafoux
"Van Gogh: The Passionate Eye"


I came across these two quotes as I was looking for images of trees for the Cinderella play. Often in life we come across obstacles as Van Gogh did. Look how beautiful Van Gogh's paintings are! He is one of the most famous artists of all time now! Then there is Chuck Close. He continues to paint even though he is paralyzed. I am reminded that every person is valuable and to continue even when things are difficult.

A student this morning completed a work of art that didn't turn out the way she wanted it to. On the back she wrote "I tried!". Sometimes that happens! We try. And we try again. That's also how life works. Sometimes we fail. Sometimes we succeed. We have to learn from our mistakes and keep plugging along. We can do it! And help others along the way. We're all in this journey together!


"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep."
~ Scott Adams