Writers who paint

  “If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint’, then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” Vincent Van Gogh

   Writers paint worlds, scenes and situations with words. They portray characters and stir emotions. Words are the colors of their palettes. Yet many writers out there enjoy painting as well. 

 The vivid imagination of a writer sometimes begs to be expressed in the form of paintings or drawings. This happened (and still happens) with many writers today.

   I gathered a list of them, but feel free to add names. Let’s enjoy their artwork and learn more about their relationship with art.

  Sylvia Plath, who killed herself due to severe depression at age 30, was a talented artist. Now her daughter Frieda Hughes expresses her desire to write poetry and paint. She says she has a "visual imagination".

Feel free to check Sylvia Plath’s drawings here.

 Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900-1944) was a French writer, poet and pioneering aviator, author of my all-time favorite novel “The Little Prince.” Saint-Exupery wrote and illustrated this story in New York City. It was published in 1943 in the United States, both in English and French. 

   During his flights, Saint-Exupery had time to reflect on the meaning of life and the human condition. Some critics believe that The Little Prince was a kind of spiritual autobiography. I have read The Little Prince many times, and every time I read it I discover something new in it. It is profound, charming and magical.

Leila Fortier, artist and poet, is an inspiration to me.

Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007) was an American writer who called himself a freethinking humanist. His books blend satire and science fiction. He illustrated his own book Slaughterhouse-Five. Later in life he became interested in silk-screen prints. I found this link to check his work:

http://www.vonnegut.com/art.asp

 Henry Miller (1891-1980) was an American writer and painter. He painted thousands of watercolors in his lifetime. His paintings have been shown in exhibitions in the US, Japan and Europe. Enjoy his art by checking this link:

http://www.henrymiller.info/gallery/prints.php

Other writers that I'd like to mention are William Blake, Aldus Huxley, William Butler Yeats, Ernesto Sabato, Jorge Luis Borges and Susan Minot.
  I love painting with pastels. Doing it carries me away to another world. Occasionally, I use my own artwork on my blog because I don't have to worry about copyright issues.
 How about you? What  mediums do you enjoy to express yourself? Music? painting?photography? Share your experience.