painT: September 2010

“the mistakes look better than what you want.”

“play with everything.”

“use a lot of color and feel hard.”

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the painTing of a movie.

i wrote a movie called painT 3 years ago. I put it away and forgot all about it. i wrote it because i felt a connection with another artists decision to go forward with a life in the arts. this artist is Vincent van Gogh. a life in the arts is the most wonderful for me. i have been an actor for more than half my life and found painting along the way. Through the rejection I felt as an actor in the span of 20 years it must have been over ten thousand "no's" to hear "YES" a few great times. I began to read all I could find about van Gogh and his story. I couldn't believe that someone with such passion could be ignored for so long. The suffering he went through physically and mentally in order to create to the full capacity that his being could withstand is remarkable. We do what we do as a way to breathe. He painted for 8 years and only sold one painting, according to the books. His talent and grace were never fully realized until after his death. I began writing a modern day tale that would blend the life of this artist with the life I am living. The product is a movie that I am going to use all my facilities and heart in order to make this dream a truth. i finished a Sam Shepard play at Underground St. Marks and down the block from the theater was the DE LA VEGA Museum. In between rehearsals I would walk into this cove of poetry and heartlift. This was no accident but a reminder from artist De La Vega that "suffering has taught nothing but great lessons." and now is the time to BECOME YOUR DREAM. Thank you for the inspiration and here it is just as you asked, painT the recorded journey of making a movie with nothing more than a heart, a dream, and faith. BIG FAITH. ever yours, greg siff