Still Life with Sunflowers

"Four Sunflowers in a Clear Vase (the 4 Stages)" (20"X16", Oil on Canvas, $500)

I did this painting a few years ago and I think it still holds up. I used the thin wet background mentioned in the previous post and laid thicker paint on top to make the subject matter stand out and have some dimensional presence. Lots of people seem to like this one and I plan to include it in a still life show this summer at Boston City Hall.

The stems seem to break as they go into the water and the colors of the unpainted surrounding objects refract through the vase.

'The Four Stages' of the title refers to the principle in Ikebana (the Japanese art of flower arrangement) where flowers are trimmed and positioned to tell a story. In this case, it's the four stages of life: youth, maturity, old age and death. I try to put small elements of the things I've picked up over the years into my paintings. The big Ikebana book that a friend's mother used to keep on her coffee table and the time I spent leafing through it is one of them. I think the intentionality of the arrangement is calming and contemplative.