Flowers for Mum Painting

I have painted at this farm many times in Fillmore California. On this day, the field of sunflowers were being cut and put into buckets to be sold the next day at the Los Angeles Flower Market for Mother's Day. It was amazing being there, capturing the flowers in their last moments before being cut. The heat coupled with the humidity was incredibly high. I was surprised I didn't keel over. I did studies there and then went back to the studio to do the final painting. This was done entirely with oil pastels on a white sealed canvas. The artwork is textural and for the leaves I used a palette knife. I particularly loved creating the sky in this painting as it was hazy and hot. It is signed in the lower right and comes with a certificate of authenticity.