#2933 "Sunflowers Endure"

#2933 "Sunflowers Endure"
18 X 14 oils on smooth panel.
Started 11:00 am Tuesday, March 4th, 2025

All of the recent paintings that I had been working on were very, very wet. The masking tape identifier (my personal bar code) for each painting remains on the easel until the paintings are completed. That explains why there was quite a row of masking tape tags on the easel while I painted. The tag for artistic step number 2933 was on the left side of that series. 

Perfection is overrated and never attainable anyway - a fool's dream, in my opinion. The best strokes in a painting might be accidents. A wise artist embraces those apparent mistakes and moves on. Just my own opinion, of course. 

But I could be wrong! I have 2937 paintings in my catalogue at the moment. Many have been sold over the years, but quite a supply remains. 

Consider the story of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519 CE), who apparently claimed that “art is never finished, only abandoned”. He evidently strove for perfection, finishing only about 20 paintings in his sixty-six-year lifetime. Leonardo started his first commissioned work around 1482, so he really only painted for 36 years plus or minus - that is less than a painting a year! Leonardo was certainly a genius. He could have also been a financial wizard! The economics of "supply and demand" make those twenty works immensely valuable. Leonardo strove for perfection, but he also spent a lot of time as an inventor and engineer. Creativity takes many forms when crafted by great intellect. 

The question comes down to: Why create at all? Why paint? It is a valid question as I pack another box of imperfect creations. There is a significant cost to being an artist. The oil paints are expensive in themselves. The painting surfaces and brushes are not cheap either. The hours, days and sometimes months spent on paintings make one wonder about the sanity of those who wish to create. My 36-year meteorological career provides the luxury of being foolish. Art may be a way of life but a challenging way to make a living! Those creations being packed into plastic, waterproof boxes for safe storage are replete with interesting flaws that probably only I will see. 

If wealth is your ambition, then Leonardo's approach might be for you - except he barely saw a fraction of the riches that his art generated. For example, Leonardo's Salvator Mundi sold for $450,312,500 at auction in 2017 (to Mohammad bin Salman), making it the most expensive painting ever sold. He never saw a dime from that almost half-billion bucks. The saying that applies to many of the world's most renowned artists is that "they can make a really great living after they die" in the supply and demand financial system. 

Leonardo daVinci, Salvator Mundi, c.1499-1500,
Oil on walnut, 17.9 x 25.8 in (45.4 x 65.6cm)

If happiness is your goal, like mine, embrace those mistakes and paint on. Nobody or thing is or should be considered perfect. I like to concentrate on the bright side that I learn something with the challenge of each new canvas and different subject matter. Art also keeps me more than busy, not hurting anything. I do not require the distractions of the news or professional sports to fill my day. I brush pigments on all types of surfaces typically surrounded by nature except when I am in the Studio enjoying the wood stove and the tunes from the 60s and 70s. My life is very simple but comfortable and more than enough. It is my choice to be happy and avoid the narcissistic world. I witnessed enough of that when I had to "punch the clock".

After eight fairly detailed efforts, I needed to loosen up my strokes and get back to the bigger brushes. I had a handful of brushes languishing in vegetable oil. They needed some serious attention before they became unsalvageable. Those brushes needed to be put back into action and I selected something happy.

Sunflowers were an obvious subject matter during the final weeks of winter. The strife in the world appears to be the result of a handful of unscrupulous and greedy oligarchs completely void of empathy. Evil is the word that comes to mind, but even that term is not nearly forceful enough. Their narcissistic actions may dominate the news but not within the Singleton Sanctuary. The ongoing criminal invasion of Ukraine and the lust for precious minerals are at the center of the immediate issues. Ontario politicians placing the control of important assets in the hands of American companies is another. There are so many serious issues that people almost forget about global warming and the sixth mass extinction. But I dream that sunflowers will endure - which explains the title. 

Sunflowers, a major part of the Ukrainian economy, are also their national flower. Sunflower blooms have evolved into a positive symbol of solidarity for that conflict. The Singleton birds enjoy sunflowers too and certainly feast on the seeds that we provide. 

I took this image of sunflowers in our garden on the afternoon of Tuesday, September 15th, 2020, at 2:23 pm. That date even preceded COVID. The world has changed a lot since then! I was in the Singleton Studio painting something happy and resilient while freezing rain with embedded ice pellets type A (pronounced "eh") dominated the weather. The wood stove and the tunes from when music was happy and kind were both on!

I painted the sides of my Dad's stretcher bars. This allows the painting to be hung without a frame. It also makes the painting very challenging to handle during the process. I use an expansion clamp to lock into the back of the painting. This clamp can be slid onto my field easel thus allowing me to continue to paint and move the painting without getting wet oils on my hands or clothing - although that might still happen. 

For this and much more art, click on Pixels or go straight to the Collections. Here is the new Wet Paint 2024 Collection. Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2025. 

Warmest regards and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick