A Path Through the Heath

Hello there! And welcome to Dandelion Seeds, an illustrated newsletter in search of the magic in everyday moments.

At the end of the month, Jose and I are taking the girls to Amsterdam for the first time. And in preparation for our trip, I have unofficially declared this summer our “summer of Vincent.”

The vase on our dining table has been filled with sunflowers for weeks now. The girls and I have been drawing said sunflowers, and reading books about Van Gogh. And I myself have begun reading a book called Dear Theo by Irving Stone, who collected the letters that Vincent wrote to his beloved brother Theo.

I’ve only made it through the first part of the book, but already it’s been moving to learn more about Vincent in his own words. For instance, I had no idea that before he was a painter, he wanted to become a pastor, like his father.

I’ve been so moved by his letters, in fact, that I thought — what if I shared a few of them with you here this summer? The first one I’d like to share today follows Vincent as he searches for the right place to train as an evangelist. But what I love about this letter is how much he’s already taking in the colors and textures and light around him.

Even before he’d declared himself an artist, his artist’s eye was at work.

With sunflowers and love,
Candace

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To bring Vincent’s letters to life visually, it only felt right to illustrate them with his own work, from all stages of his evolution as an artist. The drawings and paintings in this story include “On the road” and “Landscape at Twilight,” both held by the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, as well as “Evening Landscape,” from the collection of Madrid’s Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza. See you next week!