I painted this picture as a tribute to Vincent van Gogh, the painter of sunflowers, flaming cypresses and swirling stars, who remained misunderstood and largely ignored during his lifetime. Like no other before him, he filled his works with overwhelming passion, which has had a lasting influence and inspired generations of artists after him. He once said something that has sustained me throughout my years as an artist:

“I feel a force within me that I must develop,
a fire that must not be stifled,
but fanned, even though I do not know
where it will lead me.”