In the spring of 1888, Van Gogh was living in Arles and very
interested in working outdoors to capture the blossoming
orchards. Although the weather was getting nicer, it was not
always the best conditions for painting en plein air. In a
letter to his brother Theo from March 30 of 1888 Van Gogh wrote,
“But every day is a good day now – not meaning the weather, on
the contrary there are three windy days to one that’s quiet –
but those orchards in bloom that there are to paint! I find
painting hard work because of the wind, but I fasten my easel to
pegs driven into the ground and work in spite of it, it is too
lovely.” While many of Vincent’s letters to Theo were
conversational, about family or work, in some letters Van Gogh
placed orders for paints or requests for Theo to send other
supplies or money. In one such letter from April 4, 1888, Van
Gogh was in the midst of a creative rush to do as many studies
of the blossoming orchards as he could while their beauty
lasted. In this letter he wrote, “You see of cou