This design was specifically done for the annual Mardi Gras celebration. I used my reference photo of garden sunflowers. I love the big, bold shapes of the flowers! I cannot resist painting them because they are happy flowers and my favorites. After drawing the design directly on the archival foamboard, I begin with specific shapes […] more »
My inspiration with sunflowers is limitless! I started a loose contour sketch using my photographs of our garden flowers, but the design changed from the initial idea. I cut and arrange the shapes and let it evolve on its own. I usually decide on a background hue first (here a limited palette of teal and reds) […] more »
This design took a complete 180 from what I thought would be a perfect flower garden. At the start I chose a dark burnt sienna background — a different color for me, and I added the bold sunflower on top. Then I was at a standstill for many weeks. Last week I envisioned a much different composition […] more »
Two of Marybeth Heikes’ original collages have been selected for the 22nd annual Greater Des Moines Exhibition. Her collages, RAGBRAI, depicting a close up of a bicycle wheel and pieces of Iowa map of the Mississippi river towns, and Supreme Sunflowers with Red Stems, a floral bouquet, will be part of this exhibit featuring Iowa […] more »
My challenge for this piece was to create a large sunflower design in a square format. I used my sketch of a vase in my collection and worked from my sunflower sketches done from life. I worked the warm colors against the cool colors and contrasted light and dark values. I decided early on not to […] more »
This piece was inspired by our garden sunflowers. I worked in a smaller design format than usual because I have been doing the Daily Paintings that are usually done in smaller sizes. It is easier to complete a piece this size in one day, as opposed to the larger pieces that can take up to […] more »
Sunflowers provide a never ending inspiration; I absolutely love these flowers with their huge heads and bold, bright yellow shapes. My challenge for this piece was the size. Larger paintings are my forte. This is scaled down to 5.25 by 7.5 — very minuscule for me. I edited the seed-head and just added a spiral […] more »
Here is another still life of my garden flowers, which are lush and prolific this year. These are mostly daisies, with a couple sunflowers tucked inside the vase for color. My objective was to paint them wet-in-wet, taking advantage of the watercolor properties of mingling pigmented colors on damp paper. The grays were mixed using […] more »
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 […] more »
Sunflowers are still an inspiration for my art. The sunflower sprouts are still coming up in my garden now, so I am working with a photo taken last year. In addition to the two large blossoms, I have added a couple butterflies seen at the Botanical Center and Butterfly Center in Ames. They were both incredibly […] more »