This piece is currently one of my favorites! In combining a more abstract background with a more traditional still life painting, I find it to be more dynamic than some of my more traditional work. I was happy with the experiment! Sunflower Solidarity is 30x30 on a cradled board with a 1 ½” return, so no frame is required.

While I have always loved sunflowers and enjoy painting them, they have new meaning to me now because of the invasion of Ukraine. Sunflowers have been grown there since the mid 1700’s. They fueled that nation’s economy, Ukraine and Russia once supplying 70-80% of the world’s sunflower oil exports. But beyond that, and importantly, the sunflower has always been a symbol of peace to the Ukrainian people.

My heart aches now for the Ukrainian people, for the human suffering and for all their many losses…

A portion of the sale of this piece will be donated to Hope for Ukraine, Inc., which has a score of 91 out of 100 points on Charity Navigator.

#sunflower, #floral, #stilllife, #ukraine, #montanaartist, #hopeforukraine