Heads Up

This is something I started a long time ago! It's been sitting, unfinished, on the corner of my painting table for a long, long time. Still taped down to it's board. Last week, (or was it two weeks ago?) I decided to finish it.

It started out as a small version of something I (later) wanted to paint in full sheet format. During the painting process of this one, many times I thought how there just wasn't going to be a full sheet painting done of this. I cursed those petals sooooo many times! Now that it's done though, I may just do a full sheet of some similar sunflowers. I have some shots I took in the park last year of giant sunflowers that would look great in this technique.

"Heads Up" began with lots of masking fluid drizzled around and a poured base of some wild colours. That was fun! It's painted on Arches Hot Pressed paper (which I love and don't use enough!) and is 13.25 inches by 9.5 inches. Each petal was painted OPAT (one petal at a time). More paint was dabbed off than was left on! I lay down paint, dab most of it off, lay down more, dab off again, and so on until I have the look I want. The main colours here are Winsor Newton Quin Gold and Daniel Smith Burnt Orange - two colours that I love for their intensity.

The reference shot was from Ruth Harris in England. Many thanks, Ruth! You're an awesome photographer and it's wonderful how you share so many of your photographs.

As always, this is a copyrighted painting. Please do NOT copy or reproduce it in any way, shape or form without my handwritten permission. Thanks.

Let me know how you like it ....