Sunflowers as Painting Subjects

Sunflowers for Sunday (c) Mary Hubley

Paintings of Sunflowers

I started this painting with a light background, but found that they just didn't pop enough. Sunflowers are powerful, strong creatures, and I needed to give them more definition. The answer: I darkened the background and now the sunflowers stand out.

Van Gogh Sunflowers

Inspiration of Van Gogh

Growing up near the Philadelphia Museum of Art, I would spend hours in the impressionist exhibit, and in front of a particular Van Gogh Sunflower painting. Van Gogh's painting has an intense light blue background, and surprisingly less intense colors for the yellows in the flowers. This makes the background stand out rather than the flowers. However, the effect makes the flowers soft.

Student's Paintings of Sunflowers

To the right are some of my student's sunflower paintings. I picked up the bouquet on Sunday morning at the market, and used it all week as the still life subject for both my painting and drawing classes.


These paintings were the result after two hours of painting sunflowers.


Genre: Still Life
Painting Name: Sunflowers for Sunday
Size: 16" x 20"
Media: Oil on Canvas


-- Mary Hubley