Sunflowers, friendship and gratitude
In the passage of the letter Van Goh wrote to his brother, who said "that... It's... The flower."?
Sunflowers (Van Gogh series)
DucKon Goh Choo San Sunflowers (Van Gogh series) The Night Café Wheat Fields (Van Gogh series)
DucKon-History Goh_Choo_San-Personal_life Sunflowers_(Van_Gogh_series)-Sunflowers,_friendship_and_gratitude The_Night_Café-Genesis Wheat_Fields_(Van_Gogh_series)-Auvers-sur-Oise
The first DucKon was held in 1991. The first three DucKons were chaired by Candis King. Duckon is known for heavily fannish programming and a strong science track of programming. Duckon 3 was the first year that the convention had a furry track of programming; that furry track grew over the years and by DucKon 8 was believed to be responsible for up to 1/3 of the attendance. In 2000, most of the furry programming was spun off to become its own convention: Midwest FurFest, although DucKon maintains a furry track of its own. The 1st Duckon was held in June 1992. Guests of honor included Author GoH Lois Tilton, Artist GoH Mary Lynn Skirvin Johnson, Fan GoH Diane Johnson and Mad Scientist GoH Todd Johnson. The 2nd Duckon was held in June 1993. Guests of honor included Author GoH Leo Frankowski, Artist GoH Paul MacNerland, Mad Scientist GoHs Bill Higgins and Barry Gehm, Gopher Danielle Ostach and Fan GoH Jamie McDavid. The 3rd Duckon was held in June 1994. Guests of honor included Author GoH C. J. Cherryh, Artist GoH Edwin Reck, Mad Scientist GoH Guy Wicker, Fan GoH Cameron Price and Filk GoHs Carol & Clif Flynt. The 4th Duckon was held in June 1995. Guests of honor included Author GoH Jody Lynn Nye, Artist GoH Susan Van Camp, Mad Scientist GoH Tullio Proni, Filk GoHs Carol & Nate Bucklin and Fan GoH Robin Winsauer  The 5th Duckon was held in June 1996. Guests of honor included Author GoH Hal Clement, Artist GoH Doug Rice, Mad Scientist GoH Dermot Dobson, Filk GoHs Bill & Gretchen Roper, Golden Duck GoH Todd Cameron Hamilton and Fan GoH Paul "Kookie" Mason. The 6th Duckon was held in June 1997. Guests of honor included Author GoH Bruce Bethke, Artist GoH Erin McKee, Mad Scientist GoH Cap'n Al Duester, Filk GoH Frank Hayes and Fan GoH Angela Karash. The 7th Duckon was held in June 1998. Guests of honor included Author GoH Glen Cook, Artist GoH David Lee Anderson, Furry GoH Terrie Smith, Mad Scientist GoHs Dave Ifversen & Angela Karash, Filk GoH Pete Grubbs, Costuming GoHs Nora & Bruce Mai and Fan GoH Kevin Nickerson. The 8th Duckon was held in June 1999. Guests of honor included Special Guest: Frederik Pohl, Artist GoH Ellisa Hawke Mitchell, Author GoH Gene Wolfe, Fan GoH Richard A. Sheaves-Bein, Filk GoHs Graham and Gordon Leathers, Furry GoH Jymn Magon, Golden Duck GoH Hal Clement, Mad Scientist GoH Steve Collins, Roast Master Algis Budrys, Spit Turner Elizabeth Anne Hull and Master Carver Barry B. Longyear  The 9th Duckon was held in June, 2000. Guests of honor included Author GoH Catherine Asaro, Mad Scientist GoH Brother Guy Consolmango, S.J., Special Guest Barry B. Longyear, Artist GoH Games Wappel, Golden Duck GoH Larry Segriff, Klingon GoH janSly (aka Dr. Jeremy Cowan), Filk GoH Murry & Kathy Porath, GT Special Guest Charles W. "DC" Nelson and Fan GoH M Devotie Shaw  The 10th Duckon was held in June, 2001. Guests of honor included Literary GoH Margaret Weis and Don Perrin, Artist GoH Ray Van Tilburg, Mad Scientist GoH Bruce Schneier, Filk GoH Barry Childs-Helton and his sidekick Murray Porath, Fan GoH George Gordon and Golden Duck GoH Hal Clement  The 11th Duckon was held June 7–9, 2002 was themed "Some Assembly Required." Guests of honor included Literary GoH Joan D. Vinge, Artist GoH Robin Wood, Mad Scientist GoH J.D. "Illiad" Frazer, Filk GoH Dandelion Wine, Furry GoH Dr. Samuel Conway (Uncle Kage), Klingon GoH Admiral q'IDar - known among humans as Suzan Mianowski and Fan GoH Alice Bentley  The 12th Duckon was held June 6–8, 2003 at "The Purple Hotel." The guest included literary GoH Tanya Huff, Mad Scientist GoH Trace Beaulieu, artist GoH Patricia D. Breeding Black, filk GoHs Bill and Brenda Sutton, fan GoH Jim Rittenhouse and special guests The Great Luke Ski, J.D. "Illiad" Frazer, Dr. Samuel Conway (Uncle Kage) and Nick Polletta. The 13th Duckon, themed "Triskaduckaphobia" was held June 4–6, 2004. Guests of honor included literary GoH Eric Flint, artist GoH Butch Honeck, filk GoH Steve MacDonald and fan GoH Roxanne Meida King. The 14th Duckon, themed "I Was a Teenage DucKon!" was held June 10–12, 2005. Guests of honor included Literary GoH Julie Czerneda, Artist GoH Maria J. William, Mad Scientist GoH Dr. Geoffrey A. Landis, Fan GoH Rich "RJ" Johnson, Filk GoH Mary Ellen Wessels and Klingon GoH K'Elvis. The 15th Duckon, themed "Beware the Ides of Dvck," was held June 9–11, 2006 at the Holiday Inn Select in Naperville, IL. Guests of honor included literary GoH Jo Walton, artist GoH Theresa Mather, filk GoH Jordin Kare, Klingon GoH Keith R.A. DeCandido, fan GoH Brendan Lonehawk and young fan GoH Laura MaCleod. The 16th Duckon, themed "The Duck Side of the Force," was held on June 8–10, 2007. The guests of honor were author Alan Dean Foster, science GoH Jim Plaxco, artist GoH Mike Cole, filk GoH Micheal Moonwulf Longcor, fan GoH Greg Ketter and special guest Laura MacLeod of World Bird Sanctuary. On June 9, 2007, DucKon hosted the first public performance of the Zeusaphone, played by Steve Ward. The 17th Duckon, themed "The Maltese Duckon," was held on June 13–15, 2008. The guests of honor were author Elizabeth Bear, musicians Jeff & Maya Bohnhoff, and "mad scientist" GoH Dr. Samuel "Uncle Kage" Conway. The 18th Duckon, themed "A Duck Oddity," was held on June 12–14, 2009. The guests of honor were literary GoH Jim Butcher, agent GoH Diana Fox, filk GoH Seanan McGuire, filk fund guests Vixy & Tony, artist GoH Loren Damewood and special guest Sharon Butcher. The 19th Duckon, themed "Plan B," was held on June 18–20, 2010. The guests of honor were Literary GoHs Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, artist GoH Jim Humble, filk GoH Talis Kimberley, filk fund guest Scott Snyder, fan GoH Scott Raun and science GoH Dean Mikolajczyk. The 20th Duckon, themed "A Tale of Two Duckades" was held on June 17–19, 2011. Guests of honor included Literary Literary GoH Tamora Pierce, Artist GoH: Ursula Vernon, Filk GoH Gary Hanak, Filk Fund Guests Nate and Louie Bucklin, Fan GoHs William and Trudi Puda, Scientist GoHs "The Last Shuttle Team" and Writer GoH Shirley Damsgaard  The 21st Duckon, themed "Finally Legal," was held on June 1–3, 2012 at Pheasant Run in St. Charles, IL. The guests of honor included author GoH Robert J. Sawyer, filk GoHs The Bedlam Bards, artist GoH Newton Ewell, fan GoHs Anne and Dr. Bob Passovoy, Klingon GoH Keith R.A. DeCandido and science GoH Todd Johnson. The 22nd DucKon, themed "Fantasies of the Future," was held on June 28–30, 2013 at the Westin Chicago North Shore in Wheeling, Il. The Guests of Honor included Literary GoH Tananarive Due, Author GoH Steven Barnes, Science GoH Bill Higgins, Artist GoH Cheryl Storm, and Fan GoH Lee Darrow with Special Guests The Masters of Lighting with Dr. Zeus and their Zeusaphone.  
Goh had an elder brother, Choo Chiat Goh, who founded the Goh Ballet Academy in Vancouver, B.C. His niece (daughter of Choo Chiat Goh), Goh Chan Hon was a principal dancer with the National Ballet of Canada and the Suzanne Farrell Ballet, Washington, D.C. His youngest sister Soo Khim Goh is co-founder and former artistic director of Singapore Dance Theatre, and elder sister Soo Nee Goh taught ballet in Vancouver B.C. 
Van Gogh began painting in late summer 1888 and continued into the following year. One went to decorate his friend Paul Gauguin's bedroom. The paintings show sunflowers in all stages of life, from full bloom to withering. The paintings were considered innovative for their use of the yellow spectrum, partly because newly invented pigments made new colours possible. In a letter to his brother Theo, Van Gogh wrote: "It is a kind of painting that rather changes in character, and takes on a richness the longer you look at it. Besides, you know, Gauguin likes them extraordinarily. He said to me among other things - 'That...it's...the flower.' You know that the peony is Jeannin's, the hollyhock belongs to Quost, but the sunflower is somewhat my own."
In a jocular passage of a letter Van Gogh wrote to his brother, Theo, the artist said Ginoux had taken so much of his money that he'd told the cafe owner it was time to take his revenge by painting the place. In August 1888 the artist told his brother in a letter:In the first days of September 1888, Van Gogh sat up for three consecutive nights to paint the picture, sleeping during the day. Little later, he sent the water-colour, copying the composition and again simplyfing the colour scheme on order to meet the simplicity of Japanese woodblock prints. Van Gogh's "Cafe Terrace at Night", showing outdoor tables, a street scene and the night sky, was painted in Arles at about the same time. It depicts a different cafe, a larger establishment on the Place du Forum. 
In May 1890, Van Gogh traveled from Saint-Rémy to Paris, where he had a three-day stay with his brother, Theo, Theo's wife Johanna and their new baby Vincent. Van Gogh found that unlike his past experiences in Paris, he was no longer used to the commotion of the city and was too agitated to paint. His brother, Theo and artist Camille Pissarro developed a plan for Van Gogh to go to Auvers-sur-Oise with a letter of introduction for Dr. Paul Gachet, a homeopathic physician and art patron who lived in Auvers. Van Gogh had a room at the inn Auberge Ravoux in Auvers and was under the care and supervision of Dr. Gachet with whom he grew to have a close relationship, "something like another brother. "For a time, Van Gogh seemed to improve. He began to paint at such a steady pace, there was barely space in his room for all the finished paintings. From May until his death on July 29, Van Gogh made about 70 paintings, more than one a day, and many drawings.." Van Gogh painted buildings around the town of Auvers, such as The Church at Auvers, portraits, and the nearby fields. Van Gogh arrived in Auvers in late spring as pea plants and wheat fields on gently sloping hills ripened for harvest. The area bustled as migrant workers from France and Brussels descended on the area for the harvest. Partial to rural life, Van Gogh strongly portrayed the beauty of the Auvers country side. He wrote his brother, "I have one study of old thatched roofs with a field of peas in flower in the foreground and some wheat, the background of hills, a study which I think you will like."