THIS PAINTING BEGAN LIFE as a demonstration piece at one of my flower painting workshops. I had been looking at it for a while thinking it needed something more.
When demonstrating, I tend to work large, standing at arm’s length from the easel. Every mark is laid down in good faith and then instantly forgotten in a kind of joyful abandon. The resulting work feels wild, free and edgy.
On revisiting this painting the first decision I made was to get rid of the red vase. I also wanted to add a few new sunflowers to create a more dynamic composition. I had a blue jug in my mind’s eye and came across the perfect one in a shop