I love painting sunflowers because they are at their best in full bloom, towering over the garden — a breathtaking sight. They have a wide range of colors that I have tried to capture; yellows ranging from bronze to citrus yellow with their dark honeycomb chocolate centers. Their thick stalks support the heavy flowers. They stand tall against the vivid blue sky and are inspiring to paint every summer. Over the years I have painted these flowers several times. Perhaps it is their rigidity and strong personality that require them to stand alone, bright and bold.

I begin sketching them, paying attention to the large shapes and thinking about the background and the elements of design — how to connect the shapes and their spatial relationships on the two-dimensional paper. I use a cold-pressed, 100% rag paper and work on a flat surface because I use a lot of pigment and water. This allows the colors to mix together in an unplanned manner, creating interesting blends of colors. My goal is a solid composition and dry brush textures of the leaves. I usually do not bother with preliminary thumbnail sketches. It is more exciting to begin painting and let the ideas flow as I paint, edit, add more paint or remove pigment by blotting. Using complementary colors, I paint warm tones against cool ones, causing color vibrations and interest within the design. I favor large, flat brushes to “carve out” shapes and work around the whole composition to connect areas, creating harmony and unity.