Upcoming Painting Release ~ Sunflowers

Can paintings be a love letter?

Sunflowers.

I’ve always seen them more like people than flowers. August’s abundant energy personified.

I drove to a nearby farm a couple weeks ago and was taken with their long petals, flying in the wind like strands of bleached hair, their strong green spines stretching towards the sky and tan faces tilting towards the sun, basking in the warmth of August. It’s a familiar pose, the same one I have standing wrapped in my towel, seeking warmth after swimming in the lake.

I sat with them in the field for awhile, accompanied by the chorus of honey bees buzzing nearby. Like a gesture drawing, I sketched their figures quickly, paying notice to their many leaves, heavy arms folding over themselves and their neighbors.

Rushed by the heat of the rising sun, I cut a dozen and brought them back to my studio. I find painting from life a grounding practice. The time boundaries feel more liberating than limiting. I could have sketched and painted an entire field, but I find relief knowing once the flowers fade my work is done.

And as they fade, their heads turn heavy, with hair falling in their face, petal and pollen tears slowly dropping on my studio table. We grieve together, but I’m reminded the ripeness of summer is offering its seeds for the season to come.

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Paintings

Painted on velvety paper from France with raw, deckled edges. The warm, creamy color of the paper adds a late summer glow to my palette; an ethereal surface to match the ephemeral flowers.

In each piece you might notice slight smudges, stray marks and even pollen dust - evidence of the artist and the flower, another form of signature.

Still inspired by the stripes on my favorite beach towels, I used stripes again on the vases to accentuate the height of the arrangements. The different color choices each bring a different energy to the cream paper and golden petals.

Sizes + Pricing

Eight 22x30” paintings ($750 each)

Three 11x15” painting studies ($250 each)

Three 11x15” graphite sketches ($150 each)

Shipping is free for original works

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Framing Suggestion

A painting from my last sunflower series in 2020 hangs in our living room. (Painted while pregnant with that little girl!) I recommend taking these to a local framer and picking out a darker color mat that matches one of the colors in the painting. White is always a fine choice, but I really love how the cream paper pops on a dark mat. If you want the deckled edge to show, ask your framer to ‘float’ the art over the mat (as pictured above).

Photo by Katie Kett Photography.

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Questions?

As always, feel free to comment or simply hit reply if you have any questions or would like more information! I would love to hear from you. And be sure to follow along on Instagram for more behind the scenes on this collection. See you Thursday for the release!