Put on a Happy Face
by Regina Sabiston
Put on a happy face. That's what I do when I look at sunflowers. I just love the how they glow in the sunlight as they stand tall against the brilliant blue sky. This was a commission I did for a friend. I chose the photo from Wet Canvas...one of my favorite sources of reference photos. Of course, I deleted parts of the photo to make it a better painting. My favorite part of the photo was the way the golden petals lifted in the hot spot of the painting. I enjoy working with the transparent colors because of how it's necessary to layer the colors one on top of the other to create the luminous look and although it is more work it is all worth it in the end. I loved the centre of this sunflowers and how the dark brown contrasted with the shining yellow petals. I loved how the yellow petals glowed orange in the shadows and I loved adding just a touch of sky blue to the centre to make the painting a bit more harmonious. When I look back at my earlier works I like to ask myself what I would have do differently in my next sunflower painting. If you want to grow as an artist this is obviously a good thing to do. What would you have done differently? I think I already know.
This painting was a gift given by my friend to someone very special. Paintings of favorite flowers make truly great gifts. They will last a lifetime, but of course there's nothing like having the real thing, but then consider this. Take a of photo of the favorite flowers your gave to someone and have an artist paint them for you. Wouldn't that be a magnificent gift? Just a thought...
Well, put on a HAPPY FACE! It's like they say..."Smile and the whole world smiles with you!" Have a great day and keep on smiling.
