Spring is definitely in the air.  Although I love finding little colourful wild flowers and photographing them, it is also the worst time of the year for me due to severe pollen allergies.  I still try to find a little time to be outside to enjoy the bright flowers swaying happily during the windy March days.   Last year, in my attempt to learn wild flower photography, I went to a few local parks in search of new flowers.

I took this photo of the wild flowers at our local park.  When I posted it here as part of my Wandering Camera monthly photo collage, Janine mentioned it looked like a painting.

Ever since I was a child, I have been drawn to the Impressionist/Post-impressionist paintings.  I didn’t know them by that name at the time.  I remember loving the small brush-strokes.  I specially fell in love with the paintings of Van Gogh.  Initially all I knew of him was the very crude introduction as an eccentric artist who cut his ear off.  As I got older I learned a lot more about him and how much he was tormented by his own demons.  If I don’t keep my emotions in check, his life-story makes me extremely sad.

“The heart of man is very much like the sea, it has its storms, it has its tides and in its depths it has its pearls too.”  – Vincent Van Gogh

This is “Green Wheat Field With Cypress” which he painted while he was at the asylum of St. Paul.

One rainy Friday, as I was looking at the photos of his paintings, I thought of what Janine said about my photo.  I often wanted to paint something of his style without directly copying his work.  I recently acquired a set of Sennelier landscape oil pastels.  Soon afterwards, I found myself working on this painting using those oil pastels.  It has become one of my favourites because of the emotional tie I feel.

Sometimes the state of the world makes me very sad, but if I have learned anything from Van Gogh, it is that even in the midst of torment and sadness, a speck of peace and beauty can be found.

“Sometimes I long so much to do landscape, just as one would go for a long walk to refresh oneself, and in all of nature, in trees for instance, I see expression and a soul.” – Vincent Van Gogh

Happy Spring,
-Soma

I am also linking up on Life Thru The Lens, Through My Lens, Our World Tuesday, Wednesday Around The World, Seasons, and Friday Photo Journal along with other linky parties on my Events And Links page.