Sunflower Spirit ~ Capturing the Essence

"Capture the spirit

and essence of your subject

and show me why it is important to you."

~ Keith Bond

Sunflower Spirit

SOLD

Today's FineArtViews article by Keith Bond was about impersonation and authenticity. It is a subject very close to my heart. Originality in the interpretation of my subject is something I strive for everyday. Keith writes, "Don’t be an impersonator (and slavishly copy a subject from life or from a photo). Be authentic. Be real. Be yourself. Create art that means something to you, so it can also mean something to the viewer." For me, it is the only road to happiness and the key to finding my true inner voice as an artist.

"If you observe a really happy man you will find him building a boat, writing a symphony, educating his son, growing double dahlias in his garden, or looking for dinosaur eggs in the Gobi desert.  He will not be searching for happiness as if it were a collar button that has rolled under the radiator.  He will not be striving for it as a goal in itself.  He will have become aware that he is happy in the course of living life twenty-four crowded hours of the day." ~ W. Beran Wolfe

Wishing You Many Blessings and Authentic Happiness,

X ♥ O

Happy Sunflowers ~ SOLD

"Happiness is never stopping to think if you are."

~ Palmer Sondreal

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HAPPY SUNFLOWERS

"The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance;

the wise grows it under his feet." 

~ James Openheim

Watercolor Work Station

This painting was done standing at my big table, with lots of tools and visual reference, maybe too much information (TMI). I'll simplify things next time. Here I did the background first. On the last sunflower painting, I did the flower first. I like to mix things up so I don't get stuck in a rut. I painted this on 144 lb., 17pt., heavy weight Yupo paper that Marc from Legion Papers sent me to sample. He also sent me a couple of pads of translucent Yupo paper. That's got my head spinning with ideas!

"It's never too late to have a happy childhood."

~Berke Breathed

It was a year ago yesterday that we captured Opie and Cutie Pye

and their siblings, who now reside in New York.

Awe, they were just little wild bush babies. 

 

I must admit, they've really made themselves indispensable

around the place. How did we ever mange without them?

They sure have brought us an extra special kind of happiness.

Thanks for stopping by!

Stay cool and have a great weekend.

Hugs and Purrs,

and the little darlings

X ♥ O

Sunflower Symphony

"True friends are like bright sunflowers

that never fade away,

even over distance and time."

~ Marie Williams Johnstone

Sunflower Symphony 5.5" x 7.5" original watercolor on Yupo paper, matted to 8" x 10" See more information about this painting here.

Sunflower Symphony

5.5" x 7.5" original watercolor on Yupo paper, matted to 8" x 10"

See more information about this painting here.

The cheerful sunflower is one of the best flowers that you can gift to someone who is in need of a friendly pick-me-up. Put a smile on a loved one's face and brighten up their life with this permanent bunch of lively sunflowers that will never fade away.

"Keep your face to the sunshine

and you cannot see the shadow.

It's what sunflowers do."

~ Helen Keller