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Canna Leaves in January 2016 Oil 12x9 Painted with a Palette Knife

Van Gogh’s painting images in a small book of reproduction that I borrowed from the library when I was a  child, at a time when I have not seen any original paintings or held up a brush until many years later, opened my eyes to what, I thought, was the most inspirational artwork—then, and ever since. And when I saw his paintings of simple clumps of grass that he painted not once but several times, I wondered why most of us artists usually choose usually the ready-made subject . . . the beautiful landscape or the lovely flowers, whether in gardens or in a vase. Even most abstract painters want to paint beautiful decorative color harmonies and compositions that appeal to the public. The answer, as I see it, is seeking the sellable paintings that decorate many homes. 

Van Gogh’s clumps of grass paintings, a most challenging subject to paint, are a testament of an artist who was dedicated to the art of painting rather than choosing subjects that the public, at that time or any other time, wanted. And that, in my opinion, took courage and dedication.

Having Van Gogh’s paintings in mind, I decided to paint the brown leaves of the Cannas in our garden, a January 2016 subject, not an ambitious a subject as a clump of grass, and that can only look like an abstract composition.