Van Gogh Immersive Experience

Swirling sunflowers and starry nights, vibrant colors, familiar scenes - repeatedly coming into focus and fading into paint smears. It's music, motion, emotion, familiar paintings, but animated instead of static. It's hard to describe the Van Gogh Immersive experience - you really must experience it! 

Swirling sunflowers in vibrant colors

Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit in San Francisco 

My husband surprised me with tickets back in January (pre-vaccine, when it didn't seem like we would ever return to normal life). We're both fans of the artist, Vincent Van Gogh, and have read books about Vincent and his brother, Theo, watched movies about his life, and visited the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

Enjoying the countryside

Early starry night

Van Gogh Immersive is showing in major cities all over the United States. In San Francisco, masks are required, and large circles on the floor recommend good social distancing. Benches, a platform, and floor space provide many vantage points. The projected art, sound track and 3D and 2D animation bring the story to life. They worked together to evoke the turmoil and emotions that Van Gogh may have experienced as he created, struggled to survive, and dealt with mental illness.

Vincent in neon

Afterwards, my husband and I had a delicious brunch at Mama's Royal Cafe in Oakland, with lively conversation about what we had experienced. Immersive Van Gogh was the perfect experience for appreciating art and culture, and easing us back into normalcy. I highly recommend the exhibit for both. 

Summer Movies 2017: Vincent & Theo

For our last movie of our summer series, which features artists in the garden, we are watching Vincent & Theo (1990), directed by Robert Altman, and starring Tim Roth and Paul Rhys in the respective starring roles. Artists are not always conventional, so watchers beware. But if you appreciate art, artists, creativity, and the intersection of madness and genius, pour a glass of peach iced tea, pick some summer fruit, and join me!

The movie opens with overlapping scenes showing a modern auction taking place in Christie's of London for the Van Gogh painting, Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers (1888), with bidding near 12M pounds; and scenes in Vincent's rented room in which Vincent declares his intention to Theo be a painter of the real world, not the church, and later in which Theo reveals that he is the one who has been supporting Vincent's painting career, not their father. Cut back to Christie's and the bidding ends at 22M pounds. The rest of the movie takes place from 1883 - 1891, and covers many of the well-known events in their lives—Vincent's relationship with Paul Gaugin, cutting off his ear, eating paint, his compassion for others, bouts with depression, and the constant need for money.

Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh (1853 - 1890) and his art dealer brother, Theo (1857 - 1891), moved from the Netherlands to France to improve their fortunes. Vincent apprenticed as a painter, and Theo sold art. He was a proponent of the new Impressionist style, and attempted to promote Vincent's work, but had a difficult time of it. The film depicted both brothers as tempestuous and a bit tortured, and by the end of the film, Vincent's mental health is deteriorating. He is committed to Saint Remi to repair, and is authorized to paint anywhere he likes. He does some of his most iconic work during this time, but tragically kills himself. Six month later, his brother dies.

Some of my favorite scenes were of Vincent painting in the open air, surrounded by nature. I also liked how Theo and Vincent’s lives were intertwined, and how Theo helped his brother, even as he struggled with his own issues. It's heartbreaking to think of Vincent and Theo struggling with money problems, while Vincent's paintings sell posthumously for millions, and to watch Vincent tormented by mental illness while forging a new art form. I also appreciated watching the short, Film as Fine Art, which describes the making of the movie. Many art students were employed to create the faux Van Gogh paintings used throughout the movie, all of which were in various stages of completeness, and the film crew purchased an entire sunflower field to shoot some of the final scenes of the film. I recommend the film for anyone with a passion for art and nature.

Back to the Land: Wrap Up

This has been another wild year! Our "back to the land" theme, with its focus on our residential lot in the San Francisco Bay Area, was perfect for Year Two of the pandemic. Even with restrictions lifting a bit, thanks to vaccinations and good practices, it was good year to continue staying home. We used the time to explore what our property has to offer, looking at its role as a "homegrown national park", a source of materials for dye projects, and place to relax and enjoy nature.

Red camellia

Plant Aquarium

We learned more about some of the trees, shrubs, and plants that grow on our urban land. Some are native, some are not.

Polypodium
Juniper
Oak
Toyon
Pittosporum
Liquidambar
Hollyleaf Cherry
Chinese Elm
Hawthorn
Magnolia

Enjoying Nature

We enjoyed the seasons and the local birds and critters that visit our residential yard. The small plot is part of a larger virtual "wildlife corridor" that provides water, food, and shelter for urban wildlife and migrating birds.

Signs of Spring
Summer Time
Fall is in the Air
Winter is Coming
Red-Bellied Sapsucker
Enjoying Winter Moss
California Scrub Jay
Where are the Hummingbirds?

Garden Projects

We're working on garden infrastructure in preparation for future projects, and enjoying the yard just as it is.

Soil Restoration Under the Oak
Wood Chips Under the Oak
Oak Patrol
Symphony in the Garden
Raised Bed Prep for Fall Greens
Farewell to the Chinese Elm
Dyeing Fabric with Plants

Seeds to Dye For

This year I sowed seeds for several plants that are good for dyeing fabric - calendula, coreopsis, and marigold. I tried solar dyeing for the first time, using calendula flowers.

Seeds to Dye For
Seeds to Dye For: July Check In (Calendula)
Seeds to Dye For: September Check In (Coreopsis)
Seeds to Dye For: November Check In (Marigold)
Dye Project: Solar Dyeing with Calendula

Excursions

As the pandemic drags on, even an outing to the grocery store becomes an adventure! My husband and I made a few special excursions to remind us of normal life.

Van Gogh Immersive Experience
Judge John Sutter Regional Shore
Benicia and the Delta

Books and Movies

We traveled the United States and the world vicariously with famous British landscape gardener, Monty Don, to enjoy plant movie stars. We also learned more about the mighty oak tree and its lifecycle.

Winter movies:  Prairie Gardens  Southern Gardens  Western Gardens
Summer movies:  Southeast Asia  The Med  India
The Life of an Oak