By HARPER TRUOG

To Sarah Stack,

I am gifting you this painting because you are my friend and someone I can share my weirdness with. You keep me laughing even in a sleep deprived state.  I remember this painting was in the Doctor Who episode when The Doctor visited Van Gogh.  That episode was one of our favorites.  In the episode, Van Gogh sees an invisible monster in the grass, which scares the birds.  The episode reveals that Van Gogh is the only one who can see this monster because of his unique perspective as an artist.

I've always loved Van Gogh's loose style of painting.  He puts so much movement into the ground and sky, things that we usually see as stationary.  His disregard for straight lines and hasty dabs of color remind me that art can be beautiful without perfection.  Sarah, you are not perfect, but like dabs of color, which I would prefer to flawlessness any day.

Editor's Note: Students were asked to give a painting to someone they cared for. These are their moving responses.