#2732 "Towering Singleton Sunflowers"

#2732 "Towering Singleton Sunflowers"
12"x36" oils on canvas

The sunflower is one of the most easily recognizable flowers in our world. One of the unique characteristics of these flowers is that they turn their face to the sun. The blossoms of the sunflower enjoy the direct rays from the sun. Sunflowers stand tall, plain, honest, and upright. Sunflower is the common name for plants in the genus, Helianthus. This genus consists of about 70 species of perennial and annual flowering plants. The popular domesticated sunflower that many people are familiar with is the Helianthus annuus. These tall and strong sunflowers can grow up to 14 feet tall. I have grown twelve-foot-tall sunflowers in the Singleton Sanctuary. 

This is the partner to #2733 "Sunnyside Sunflower Tower". The third in the series is  #2734"Sunflower Side of Life". 

The sunflower and this painting are intended to bring some happiness into the world during these challenging times ... but challenges always bring opportunities if we look. It is important to dwell on the positive and perhaps serve as an example of how we can live with and encourage nature. 

My wife called this "Big Bird" when she first saw the painting. Big Bird is a Muppet character designed by Jim Henson and built by Kermit Love for the long-running children's television show Sesame Street. The television Big Bird was tall but certainly not the twelve-foot giants of my Singleton Garden. 

I enjoy the meaning and symbolism of sunflowers. A tower of sunflowers resulted when I stood in front of the easel because I started from the bottom and built them upward to the sky. The process reminded me that perhaps I was convectively unstable. These blooms ere uncharacteristically backlit with the flowers turned away from the sun. It can happen and the lighting was electric. 

Life is not always about the showy and bright flowers. The subtle, darker web of the twisted stems and leaves also supports the vortex of life as we all turn toward the light… like the sunflower in real life. I was concentrating on connecting the dark to the light with big brushes and strokes of energy. 

"The sunflower is mine, in a way" said Vincent Van Gogh. I know that he would share though. I almost share my birthday with Vincent except that his was 100 years earlier than mine. 

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Warmest regards and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick