#2788 "Sunflowers Last Day"

#2788 "Sunflowers Last Day"
11x14 inchesoils on canvas

This is number four of a planned trilogy of florist sunflower-inspired paintings - that turned into a quartet. The stems could no longer support the blooms. The sunflowers turned to look for their roots. These flowers would be composted for the garden to nourish the next generation of sunflowers and paintings. 

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. 

Brush size really determines the size of the pixel elements. And that needs to be consistent across the painting. 

             A trilogy of sunflowers from COVID 2021                             

These sunflowers came from a florist in celebration of birthdays and a party held within the Singleton Sanctuary. I thought that the flowers were so beautiful after the festivities that they needed to be recorded for posterity in oils. A similar story happened in 2021 when I painted #2565 "Past Prime Sunflower Bouquet", #2566 "Sunflower Bouquet Last Daze" and #2567 "Wilted Sunflowers". 

I painted four works based on this particular 2023 group of sunflowers: 

#2785 "June Sunflowers"; 
#2786 "Wilted Sunflower"; 
#2787 "Sunflowers Still Shining" and 
#2788 "Sunflowers Last Day". 

A Quartet of Sunflowers from June 2023
The planned Trilogy became a Quartet

There are many more sunflowers painted but these were completed in a series of particular blooms with a story behind them as they dried out to become compost to nourish more flowers in the future. I have had a lifetime affection for sunflowers. Like daisies, I look forward to painting them every year. 

For this and much more art, click on Pixels or go right to the Flowers Collection.

Warmest regards and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick