STORY BEHIND THE ART OF JEANNETTA VANRAALTE

Botanical Art Worldwide: America's Flora

Three Sunflowers

Helianthus annuus

I just love sunflowers! They inspire thoughts of a bright new day, and their color is astounding. Sunflowers are native to New York State, and the three flowers depicted were cut from my garden in New York City. I have painted sunflowers many times: in childhood, in my career in home furnishing textiles, and in several botanicals for exhibitions. This painting is a combination of watercolor and gouache, as are many of my botanicals. I have no trouble in achieving various shades of yellow because of my long experience in matching colors for textiles. The typical view of the sunflower is head-on, but I decided to paint the central flower from the back, thus showing the velvety backs of the bracts in the involucre. I first sketched the flowers in different positions since they were cut and I could rotate them until I was happy with the layout. In other works I have painted sunflowers in the soil, uncut, and done close-ups of their minute details. I am delighted to know that my painting will travel and be seen by many people and, perhaps, give them an appreciation of the glory of the common sunflower.

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Read more about this artist’s work: 18th Annual