When Kathie Met Vinnie!

It began with that album!! In 1971, the biggest song of the year was "American Pie" by Don McClean, an 8+ minute epic tale of "the day the music died."  The title track to the album,  an album which lived in the fiber of our house and was a favorite of my brothers and sisters.  

Being the youngest of 7 children, at the ripe old age of 7 (in 1971),  my siblings forged the path of my music tastes, and that "American Pie" album was a classic. The second big single off the album was "Vincent" - an epic love song for the Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh and his most famous painting, "Starry, Starry Night".  The lyrics told the sad tale of the artist, a man who I would later learn as I read about his life, was one of fragile mind and heart, who became one of the world's most talked about victims of suicide. His artistic talents were massive and his timeless paintings are now engrained in so many forms of multimedia and are more iconic now than ever.  The numerous "Immersive Van Gogh" experiences showing daily around the globe are phenomenal displays of large scale projections of his work set to a soundtrack, attracting huge crowds and re-invigorating the public's interest in the painters work. 

Me... I am a smitten fan of his work and had the chance to view dozens of his most finest paintings in person, when the Van Gogh Museum exhibit hit The LA County Art Exhibit in 1999. At that moment, I developed a thirst for his work and set out ever since to view as many of his works in person as I can. 

My plans for this blog are simple: to document my journeys to see the works of Van Gogh in person; sharing insights , articles and adventures about the artist and my adventures traveling to see his works. 

Quick backstory on the blog's title:  As a high school student growing up on Long Island, NY - I majored in Art and Music; my musical weapon of choice - the acoustic guitar.  I studied music theory and purchased dozens of guitar tab books, and at some point in class must have had a "little crush" on guy named Vinnie and jotted his name and mine in a heart inside the cover of one of my guitar books. Years later in LA , while moving into an apartment with my husband Brett, he discovered that old music book and has teased me about "Kathie- N- Vinnie" ever since.  I never dated anyone called Vinnie, so I guess that was a passing thing,  but my passion for Vincent Van Gogh - that love is forever!   

Thanks for joining us on this adventure,

With Love ,

Kathie -N- Vinnie