My Visconti Van Gogh Addiction

My journey with Visconti began in Victoria, B.C., in 2016. I bought a Visconti Rembrandt that looked marvellous. Sadly, that pen never wrote more than eight to ten lines in its entire lifetime before dying of exhaustion. Still filled with an entire converter of ink, it lay there stubbornly, refusing to put ink to paper.

I eventually put it out of sight, because I gave it numerous chances to work, though all of those chances ended up with about eight or so lines of writing and then... nothing. I eventually sent it away last year to have it fixed, and it was, though I still don't really use it all that much, even though it does work now.

Grudges can be hard things to get over.

The more I read about Viscontis, the more I realized I wasn't alone with my Visconti nib grumbles. It's a hard-cast shadow that I think Visconti wants to shake off its back.

So, it was with some cynicism that I found myself fawning over a Visconti Van Gogh 'Orchard in Blossom' fountain pen and ink set last summer whilst at the cottage. Sitting in our northern Ontario log cabin with our sketchy two-bars of cellular reception, I came across a post on one of the Facebook fountain pen groups.

I was smitten. Foolishly, stupidly, smitten.

Below: A slideshow of my Van Gogh. Photos were sent to me before purchase from the store where I ordered the pen.

Did I really need to repeat the Rembrandt debacle all over again? Would this gorgeous Van Gogh also refuse to write? Members of one of my fountain pen groups reminded me of nib issues in the Viscontis some of us had used. Headstrong, I talked myself into giving Visconti another chance and contacted the store that had one.

I was on pins and needles until the day it arrived. I opened the box and there, on my desk, was a work of art, replete with its perfect combination of striations, swirls, and colours from Van Gogh's work of art, 'Orchard in Blossom.'

But that was only hurdle one, the easy hurdle. Hurdle two would be the test of it writing more than a few lines like its cousin the Rembrandt was prone to do.

I filled the converter and brought out a journal.

I was shocked by the smoothness of the rose gold nib (I still am) and began to write line after line until the entire page was filled with perfectly balanced, inky, words.

Since my, what I shall call "my success" with the 'Orchard in Blossom,' I have purchased two more Van Gogh fountain pens.

1. The Novel Reader; and

2. Café Terrace at Night.

Here are my thoughts on these two additions to my collection:

Visconti Van Gogh The Novel Reader Fountain Pen

The Novel Reader fountain pen with medium nib that I ordered was a bit of a disappointment, inasmuch as the swirls and blend of colours that were found in Orchard in Blossom are just not there. There are variations in colour if you look closely, but if you're looking for a Van Gogh with a good range of colour, this may not be the one for you.

I ordered this particular pen online and it was my fault not to ask the store to send me at least one photo of the pen. I wouldn't ordinarily do that, but this was a small store and they only had two in stock. I have since visited the store and the owner is wonderful and this is certainly not a criticism of her, or the store. I should have realized that I ought to have been prepared for the possibility that the pen's variations in colour and striations wouldn't necessarily appeal to me in person.

Mea culpa.

The nib, while smooth, is certainly not as smooth as my Orchard in Blossom. However, it writes well, never has ink delivery problems and consistently writes as it should.

The ink that comes with this set is a very light green, despite looking rather yellow in the photo. Overall, I shouldn't complain, but of the three I have, this is probably my least favourite.

The Café Terrace at Night fountain pen with fine nib is one I chose at the same store where I purchased The Novel Reader. There were two available and they were totally different colours - one definitely more orange, and the one I chose, definitely more dark green with striations and stunningly beautiful swirls of orange and cream.

Visconti Van Gogh Café Terrace at Night Fountain Pen

This one, also, is not as smooth as the original Orchard in Blossom, but neither it, nor The Novel Reader, are scratchy or have any nib problems. All three write perfectly, but the Orchard in Blossom is what every fountain pen should feel like when writing. But then, that's just my own opinion. Café Terrace at Night, as you can see above, is probably my favourite looking pen of the three.

So, my addiction to the Van Gogh line continues. I love the fact that Visconti chooses Van Gogh's art work to inspire their pens. I am fortunate that all three write perfectly.