Fire in the Flower Garden

Today in the studio. When we were children, my friend Dan and I once carried buckets of water from his house to a park across the street to put out a small brush fire.

Art Journal. Acrylic, ink and pencil on paper.

Art Journal. Acrylic, ink and pencil on paper.

Encounter with van Gogh

Recently, I visited the National Art Gallery in Washington, D.C., and stared at this painting for nearly an hour. I couldn’t look away. When I closed my eyes, the piece remained visible. Once again, Van Gogh challenged me to live my calling.

Recently, I visited the National Art Gallery in Washington, D.C., and stared at this painting for nearly an hour. I couldn’t look away. When I closed my eyes, the piece remained visible. Once again, Van Gogh challenged me to live my calling.

Something was wrong. I didn’t know what it was. I didn’t know how to fix it. I went to a museum and stood in front of a self-portrait by van Gogh. The painting was life-size. It felt like van Gogh was staring back at me. Rising through the silence, I heard these words: Cut a bold path to truth. Sometimes in life, I am awake. Sometimes I am asleep. Art always wakes me up. — Howell Burnell