July’s Abundance

Sunflowers have held a special place in my heart my whole life. Growing up, my mom always grew them in her garden. As an adult, every year that I have had a garden of my own, I’ve made a point to do the same.

In the past, I’ve created whole series of paintings with a sunflower theme. My “Sunflower” series came about when I discovered how many varieties of sunflowers there are, and how unique some of them look. My “Sunflower Heart” series was based on my fascination with the hypnotic pattern of the seeds in the center of a sunflower.  You can see them all on this page. (Scroll down past the lotuses.)

I painted this photo-realistic image from a snapshot of sunflowers in the front garden of the little house I lived in for 10 years in Baltimore, MD. The little bit of the house that’s visible in the background here fills me with nostalgia. Notice the two bees on the flower!

To me, sunflowers symbolize abundance–good times, beautiful harvests, long days of sunshine, the active lifestyle of summertime. Last year, I got my first ever tattoo, of a sunflower and a bee on my shoulder.