Christy's Sunflowers and Magic

Christy's Sunflowers and Magic

 

My sister, Christy, "commissioned" this piece for her birthday/housewarming gift.  Her only specifications were, "the theme should be sunflowers, and it should have the word, 'Joy.'"  I told her I would work on it and hoped the "magic" would happen.  I've noticed that "magic" has to happen for me to really like or love a piece.  Without the magic, the piece is like the word "earth," without "art."  It's just "eh.

I spent longer on this piece than normal.  I wanted her to really like it, and it had some challenges painting the sides of the 3D leaves with the tiniest brush I own.

I worked and re-worked the center of the flowers, and I could not get them to where I was happy.  So I slept on it.  I woke up thinking, "I didn't add the "bodies" to the dragonflies and butterflies."  I usually add "bodies" to those elements using vintage sheet music.  As I was adding the "bodies," I thought, "hmmmm, what if I add a circle of sheet music to the center of the flowers?"  And the magic happened.  I was finally happy with the flowers.

 

This picture is the actual "magic" infusing itself into the canvas.  The canvas is the board with the orange stripe, and the only paint on it is the blue background.  I have a gorgeous stained glass piece in my window of a rose, and there is some yellow in it. When the sun shone through the stained glass onto the canvas board, it looked like a sunflower at first glance.  

I try to be open to "magic" not only in art, but in life.  I wish you lots of magic in your life! 🪄

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