September Sun & Sunflowers

September - does it count as Summer or Autumn? The month rolls in with strong bright sunlight - plenty of hours of daylight and promises of a lovely end of the Summer - yet by the end it feels definitely more autumnal.

Meteorologists state that Autumn starts when the equinox starts. So I guess that is my answer.

In September though there are still many sights of Summer around including beautiful sunflowers.  These strong and bold flowers stand tall and proud and offer colour and vibrancy for a long time.

A few years ago I happened upon a field of sunflowers in East Sussex. I was out dog walking in the countryside when decided to go over  a small bridge that led into a huge field on the edge of someones land. It was full of sunflowers - in full bloom. It truly was a beautiful sight. Very inspiring. That was a glorious end of summer day and the welcome sunflowers seemed to delight in the fact that summer was still there in full force!

I have over the years painted sunflowers many times. Sometimes they have been a focal point and sometimes in with other flowers. However I feel they sit better when painted on their own - being the centre of the pictures attention.
For Van Gogh they represented happiness - the colour yellow for him was the emblem of happiness and as Sunflowers exude yellow it all different shades what a good choice of flower.

With watercolours I love the way the colours drift and mix in with each other.  Cadmium yellow mixing with lemon yellow.  And unusually using ochres and browns mixed in there. The effect of the watercolours blending together produce unique colours.

I've tried something different with these small original paintings - by painting on the actual border. The flowers seems to flow over and I am pleased with the effect. I am hoping to paint more of these with the border being painted as well. 
If you are interested in buying any they are very reasonable for an original painting. Just contact me.

Thank you for ready my BLOG.
make it a sunny day
Vicky :-)