Van Gone – the backstory
I’ve been an admirer of Vincent Van Gogh for as long as I can remember. I guess it was seeing Starry Night for the first time that drew me to his work.
The story behind the painting is fascinating. Vincent wanted to be a minister just like his father and grandfather, but when he took the entrance exam for seminary he failed. Undeterred he went to the coal mines and wheat fields in Belgium to minister to the people there. He slept on grass mats and had little to eat. Soon he began sketching the workers and miners in their everyday habits and meager existence.
Later when he painted Starry Night he painted lights in all of the buildings in the village except the church. Because of his work among the poor he felt that the “light” was out there. Titled Van Gone, my artwork tries to represent the spirit of Van Gogh. There are no lights on in the church. The only visible light is seen coming through the stained glass windows. The rest of the image is black and white.
We, too, have an opportunity every day to take the light outside the four walls of our church buildings and be the church to someone.
If you enjoy reading my backstories (many more to come) and would like for your group or organization to see and hear them first hand, please give me a shout. I’m available for presentations, speaking engagements, and other meet the artist types of events.
