Courtesy of www.VincentVanGogh.org

Now it is autumn in the woods - I am full of it.

There are two things in autumn that particularly appeal to me. Sometimes there is a mild melancholy in the falling leaves, in the muted light, in the haziness of things, in the elegance of the slender tree trunks.

Then I love the more sturdy, rugged side just as much; those strong light effects, for instance, on a man digging, perspiring in the midday sun.

I believe that through painting I will reach a point where I will get a better sense of light, which will add a completely different dimension to my drawings.

I feel such a creative force in me; I am convinced that there will be a time when, let us say, I will make something good every day, on a regular basis.

[For instance, I did] a rough sketch of the potato market in the Noordwal - the bustle of laborers and women with baskets that are being unloaded from a boat is fun to see. These are things that I would like to paint or draw in a powerful way - the life and movement of such a scene, and the types of people.

I am doing my very best to make every effort, because I am longing so much to make beautiful things. But beautiful things mean painstaking work, disappointment, and perseverance.

Here is another woodland scene done in the evening after rain. I can't tell you how magnificent the effect was in nature, with the bronze of the green and here and there the fallen leaves.