Announcing the Winners

I would like to thank everyone who accepted the challenge and sent me their list of reasons why the large flower is the focal point and what techniques I used to make it so. The response was incredible and I read each one with great interest and anticipation. Here are some of the ones that I enjoyed the most:

1. The flower is located in the golden mean, also known as the rule of thirds, and also known as the Da Vinci Code named after its most famous advocate.

2. The two large flowers to the left of the focal point seem to be pushing it forward. 3. Most of the stems, including the biggest one, direct your eye to the dominate flower. 4. This flower, also known as the queen, is in full bloom at the height of its glory as it guards over its subjects the smaller sunflowers. 5. This flower has the most detail, richest colors, and is surrounded by cool and warm darker values which make it "pop". It has a dark bullseye in its center which attracts the eye. Some of the responses were hilarious with sexual innuendo's and flights of the imagination. Some even told stories where the flowers were characters playing different parts.

AND NOW WITHOUT FURTHER ADO here are the winners in no particular order: Stacey Reynolds, Bethany Cobb, Claudia Abbott, and Robert Eilert. This is more winners than I planned on but they were all irresistible. I will send an email to each winner with a picture of their painting and we will figure out a way to get it to them. Keep opening my Sunday emails because I will continue to come up with ideas like this to lift our spirits and keep us thinking about art.

NOW I HAVE A GIFT FOR EVERYONE. Last night I watched a program on youtube about Vincent Van Gogh that was really exceptional. It was narrated, beautifully filmed, and full of information. It showed the actual places where he painted and then those scenes dissolved into his paintings. There are lots of programs about Vincent on youtube but I recommend this one. Go to youtube and type in "The Painting Life of Vincent van Gogh". The one you want is 58:38/ 59:07 long in English and HD. If you watch it let me know what you think. Now if you would like to do something for me go to my website dennispendleton.com and check out my tutorials. I know you would especially enjoy the 3 where I explain one of my paintings. You can buy them for $5 each,watch them when you want as often as you want and they run about 25 to 30 minutes. One last thing, a nice leisurely walk where you practice social distancing will lift your spirits and spark your creativity. Happy Painting! Dennis Pendleton