Van Gogh’s Surprise

"I am often told that my paintings remind people of the work of Vincent Van Gogh. I love hearing this, and it inspires me deeply. There are the obvious reasons; the sunflowers, the thick texture, and the bold color palette, however, I often ponder the lesser known aspects of his work and his life. Our modern world glamorizes his mad genius, but for the majority of his life, he was a regular hard-working art dealer prior to constructing a life as an artist, and his demise into mental illness, heavy drinking and suicide. I wonder if things had been different how his style and his technique would have flourished into his old age. Imagine if he had support for his depression, anxiety and delusional tendencies. Imagine if he had had proper health care, and could have afforded more art materials. Imagine if he had had a better network around him to support him emotionally, rather than just his letters from his brother Theo. I feel so grateful that as an artist I have modern materials like beautiful, rich luscious paint that I can easily purchase, rather then having to grind my own pigment, or forge my own painting knives. I also think of how he was not 'successful' during his lifetime, and only well-known now due to the diligence of his sister in law when he passed on. She was instrumental in the continuance of his legacy, and now his works fetch the highest prices historically ever paid for artwork. I wonder how he would feel about this?! So I hope you enjoy my little slices of Van Gogh, with my shiny modern oil paints and incredible colors, they bring me so much joy, and I hope you enjoy them too!" ~ Lisa Elley

Additional information

Dimensions	6 × 6 in
Subject	Flower, Sunflowers
Version	One of a Kind Original Artwork
Style	Figurative, Floral/Plant
Version Short	Original Artwork
Artist	Lisa Elley
Medium	Oil
Substrate	Canvas
Frame Status	Framed Canvas – Ready to Hang