Two of the most searching artist biographies of the last half century, Van Gogh: A Life and Jackson Pollock: An American Saga, were written by the same partnership: Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith.

What makes their collaboration notable is not simply the scale of research, though that is formidable, but the way two voices combine without blurring. Naifeh and Smith worked closely for decades, reading, arguing, corroborating, and revising together. The books emerge from a shared process of verification and interpretation, where assertion is continually tested against evidence.

A significant and often overlooked influence on Van Gogh was the vibrant world of Japanese art, specifically ukiyo-e woodblock prints. These prints, depicting everything from serene landscapes to dramatic kabuki actors, captivated Van Gogh and fundamentally altered his artistic trajectory.

Several years ago I decided that I wanted to do a set of lithographs based on a painting I did of an almond tree.  Having never made a lithograph before I thought I'd share the process with you and get your input along the way.

I made 4-plate lithograph, that I printed in different colors to represent different times of the day.  

"In [Van Gogh's] studio, he kept a lacquered box containing balls of brightly colored yarn  that he endlessly twined and untwined to test the interaction of colors . . .