Whirlygig Sunflower Blossom
12" x 12" work in progress

Have you ever seen a more funky sunflower blossom? I sure haven't! This one was full of attitude, and I couldn't wait to get that down on canvas!


My daughter was the one who gave me the idea of calling it a Whirlygig. I am thinking that Windmill would also  suit the shape and movement of the leaves...which name do you like for this painting?


Once this one is finished, I will post it for you to see. It too will be sold at my Studio Art Sale, which is just over 2 weeks away! You can check out all that will be for sale, and the prices, at my website: www.joannegiesbrecht.com  Any piece can be pre-sold, so if one interests you, don't hesitate to contact me so that you don't lose out! 

Next stages of sunflower painting

When you are painting on larger sized canvasses, it takes a lot of paint, and sometimes a lot of patience. I do not paint in the style of some acrylic painters where the paint is thick and covers the canvas in one stroke of the brush. Instead, I use many, many layers of glazing of the paint to achieve the transparent look and "glow" of my paintings.

I consider this painting to still be in the UGLY stage, although it is progressing through LESS UGLY to the I'M GETTING HAPPIER stage. I'm going to leave the petals for now and focus on the leaves, so the next time you see this painting, it will look much better - like a sick patient who is on his way to health, but you can tell he isn't up to his usual self yet.

Working on this...

Sunflower on the easel

Another work-in-progress. I am LOVING the action and flow of this beautiful sunflower! I paid quite a bit for this stem, ($4.00!!!) and it never really opened up, which was a disappointment. But, I was able to get this angle of the flower head, which I am quite pleased with!

This canvas is 15" x 15", and the flower is being painted in acrylic. I pre-toned the canvas with my all-time favorite background color for my sunflower paintings - Quinacridone Burnt Orange. I am also using a new color in this painting- Transparent Red Oxide from KROMA, a company in Granville Island, Vancouver which makes their own paints. The texture of their acrylics is buttery and the colors are so vibrant! Their paints contain no fillers or extenders, and they are excellent as far as lightfastness goes. I visited Kroma about 3 years ago, and appreciated how they are a small company with excellent service and customer care!

I am hoping to finish this sunflower over the next few days. I will post the finished painting for you to see.