love it, Charlie! wish I had visited the island when I was in Stockholm so manymany moons ago...
judi

Charlie, I love that blue gate painting. I'm also commenting because I just received your newsletter in English!

What an interesting case! I too am inclined to think it was murder, not suicide after they presented the evidence. However, one telling piece of the evidence would make me categorize it as "manslaughter" instead of "murder."

The fact that Vincent van Gogh covered for the boys is a major point for "manslaughter." If they shot him by accident and he knew it was an accident, I can understand why he would cover for them and say it was suicide. Yes, he often had suicidal impulses.

That was an act of compassion and forgiveness though. It's very rare for someone who's suicidal to feel that much compassion for others - it is an ultimately selfish moment. He was in great pain anyway because he was shot in the gut.

Beyond his diagnosis, another good point in the 60 minutes article that his condition was Psychomotor Epilepsy, lay the character of a loving, strong, compassionate man who lived with a terrible disability. His paintings show a deep love of life and warmth of personality.

His symptoms said one thing - psychomotor epilepsy can cause those outbursts involuntarily. His true character is reflected in that altruistic action.

I had to think - how would I feel if I was out in the street or out plein air painting and a couple of teenagers playing with a gun gut-shot me by accident? Would I forgive them? Would I care about them to the point of covering for them so that their lives wouldn't be ruined by the accident?

That takes immense compassion. I respect Vincent Van Gogh much more now that I know more about the circumstances of his death and I feel proud that he's been such a strong influence on my painting. He died well, with an act of kindness.

I also have to mention the painting you put in the newsletter. "The Waffle Cottage" almost made me cry. The joy in that painting flooded me from the screen. I smiled and cried in the same moment, because the bright world of "The Waffle Cottage" looked like the boyhood I wished I had. It sang of play and outdoor roaming, going in to eat waffles drenched in real walnut syrup and telling jokes, having a treat on a bright day before going out fishing or boating.

Even at that age, if that was my childhood, I would have brought a sketchbook and a notebook to write down my impressions of nature. I like to think that because I didn't have that childhood then, I am enjoying it now that I'm legal age every time I pick up my pastels.

You're the one who taught me how to handle color the way I always wanted, so all my high intensity delight is in the lineage of Monet-Van Gogh-Manet > Hensche > Sarback > Herczfeld > Sloan. Thank you again from my heart.

Ari purrs at you and sheds Cat Hairs of Inspiration and a Special Speckled Whisker of Serendipity in your direction.

Hey-hi, Robert, you know, you brought tears to my eyes with your poetic and beautiful words about the waffle cottage. Thank you so much for letting me know, giving me my reward by sharing your inner feeling, as this is why I paint, to communicate as much of beauty as I'm able, something that lifts the hearts of those who are receptive. And the bittersweet is part of that too.

It does express the girlhood I wish I'd had. No waffles allowed, as I am allergic to eggs -- but later I found how to make them without, and had a ball eating them. Traditionally, we put whipped cream and strawberry or raspberry jam (sort of a runny jam) on them, or icecream. Lingon, lingonberry, have a distinct tang, so that kind of jam goes with food, like grilled herring or meatballs. But, different parts of Sweden have slightly varying traditions, so somewhere I'm sure they do use lingonberry (with plenty of sugar) for waffles.

We don't make maple syrup, but lately we've imported it from across the Atlantic. It is very good!

That CBS 60 Minutes show about Vincent van Gogh it gladdened my hear, as this painter of so much beauty and who had such a troubled life, did indeed have the goodness within to forgive and help those boys who hurt him, and becoming a true hero by it. Certaninly deserving of respect. To me, he gained in stature, from tormented wreck to tormented hero, maybe even a bit saintly. From my standpoint, I think that few are those who have said "Father forgive them, for they do not know what they have done."

Maybe he wasn't suicidal in the general manner. the programme hinted at him not wanting to be a burden to his brother and his wife, so maybe even his suicide thoughts were because he wanted to give them relief from the burden of having him as a responsibility?

Hard to say, but he did show true greatness regarding the boys.

Also, I have to thank you for telling the story of The Blue Gate. When you add that kind of story to one of your paintings, it's even more special.