Passion.

“Paintings have a life of their own that derives from the painter’s soul.”
“Just let me be myself – and express rough, yet true things
with rough workmanship.”
-- VINCENT VAN GOGH

My paintings are not smooth or highly developed. But each springs from a passion to express an emotion, moment, or movement. And I hope they will, as Van Gogh says, “…have a life of their own.” Many of them have what he called “rough workmanship.” That’s me. Exactitude and photorealism are not me.

How do you tell when an artist paints with passion? I look for the human marks that they used to express their soul or vision. Through those marks, you can almost sense the heartbeat of a real person doing their best to create a new vision.

Take a look at these images. Do you sense the human quality in them even if you don’t recognize the painting?

I'm interested in what you think. How do you determine if an artist has created their work with passion? Comment below and let me know.