Windy Sunflower – Watercolor

“It takes courage to push yourself to places you have never been before… to test your limits… to break through barriers.  And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”
–Anais Nin



Windy Sunflower – Watercolor

My friend, Louise, recently gave me a handful of sunflower seeds.   I gave up planting things in our poor soil a long time ago, but I am going to give these a try.  We have picked out a place where they will rest up against the edge of the woods, yet can be seen from our living room windows.   I don’t know anything about raising sunflowers, so if you have any advice for me…. leave me a comment. 

The National Sunflower Association has a link for a free children’s coloring book (pdf).  Here’s another one.

This is interesting.  It’s from their FAQ page…
Why is the sunflower such a popular art form?

The sunflower plant has almost ‘human-like’ characteristics and dimensions. The face of the blooming sunflower can almost speak to you. For this reason, the sunflower was a favorite subject for Europe’s greatest artists such as Van Gogh and Picasso. Sales of these paintings can bring millions of dollars today. The sunflower continues to be a favorite art form for designers of fashion to the every-day coffee mug. It has, and continues, to stand the test of time.

Anaïs Nin (Spanish pronunciation: [anaˈiz ˈnin]; born Angela Anaïs Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira Nin y Culmell, February 21, 1903 – January 14, 1977) was a French-Cuban author, based at first in France and later in the United States, who became famous for her published journals, which span more than 60 years, beginning when she was 11 years old and ending shortly before her death. Nin is also famous for her erotic literature and short stories. A great deal of her work, including Delta of Venus and Little Birds, was published posthumously.