The inspiration for this painting are my garden sunflowers. This year they are mainly dark yellows and rust-mahogany varieties. I never get tired of painting sunflowers. I love the large seed pods and triangular, wispy leaves surrounding the heads. The sturdy stems and huge leaves are a big part of my design too. To me, sunflowers are summertime — warm, sunny breezy days.

I stayed with the local colors. Towards the end of the painting session,  I decided it needed some warm, complementary color on top of the background. A transparent wash of cobalt violet successfully brought all sections of the painting together.