There is something about poppies that I love: the large, boisterous petals and shapes of the flowers and the vivid red color. I find myself drawing and painting them every time they bloom in my garden. Adding a single Rudbeckia bloom in this bouquet seemed necessary to quiet down the large red blooms of the poppies. I planned the subtle light-colored background with abstract shapes to add interest to the composition instead of a flat background. The red-striped table with the square format breaks up the otherwise oblong, rectangular background design. This painting’s support is a one-and-a-half-inch cradled gessoed hardboard, without mats or frame.