"Although [his] early drawings are amateurish, spidery things, they had finally moved Vincent, at the age of twenty-seven, to a decision. He would be an artist. He had never so much as picked up a brush, and knew he was badly in need of instruction.

"He tried a little in Brussels, and had discussed art with a Protestant minister in the Borinage, but preferred to teach himself, buying a few books on perspective, making a little frame with cross hairs to help, and then going back to Brabant to live at home and make another attempt at drawing. This time he had much more success..."

-- Simon Schama, in the Van Gogh chapter of his book Power of Art, p302

The ending of the Van Gogh story is very familiar -- tortured genius who produced oodles of paintings in no time at all. The beginning of his journey as an artist is less familiar yet ought to be equally familiar as it's an inspiration to anyone who desires to be an artist yet can't get to art college for whatever reason.

Even if you do get to art college, it may not be what you envisaged, as that now-famous Impressionist Monet discovered ... he dropped out from art academy while still in drawing class, he never got as far as the painting class. And it's not as if Gleyre's studio didn't have a good reputation; on the contrary, it's why Monet's father agreed to it. Monet just got bored with the traditional approach, focused on the ideal of the perfect figure.

With determination, persistence, and hard work, you can teach yourself. Going to art college isn't the only path, it's merely the fast-track. Don't give up on the dream of being an artist because you can't get to art college. Make time in every day (or more days than not in a week) to paint, to work at it. So what if it takes you 10 or 15 years or however long, it's better than looking back in 10 years and wishing you'd started already. And, remember, Van Gogh went from "want to be an artist" to achieve all he did in 10 years, dying before he was 38.

See Also:
• Van Gogh's Palette and Techniques
• Quiz on Van Gogh's Life
• Gallery from the Van Gogh Painting Project

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