Painting Sunflowers, artist Orest Tsyupko

• Artist: Orest Tsyupko
• Title: "Sunflowers"
• Year: 2018
• Size: 60 × 50 cm
• Materials: oil on canvas
• Original hand-painted artwork

"Sunflowers" is a horizontal still life with a bouquet of sunflowers in a wide vessel. Two large flower heads with dark brown centres occupy the middle of the composition: one faces the viewer slightly below and to the left of centre, the other rises above it. Around them several more flowers can be seen, partly turned in profile, and on the right an unopened bud with yellow petals peeks out. Broad leaves fan out to both sides, giving the bouquet its sweep. Below, it is supported by a voluminous lime-green vase, and behind it stretches a silvery grey background with lilac and light planes at the lower edge that suggest drapery or the edge of a table. A single dark horizontal stroke runs across the upper part of the background.

The work is painted in oil on canvas in a free, expressive manner. The sunflower petals are sculpted with thick, raised strokes with crisp edges; the paint lies densely and keeps the marks of the tool, so the flowers seem to rise above the surface of the canvas. The leaves are painted with large, quick touches, in places almost as a sketch, and the background is worked with broad gliding strokes through which warmer layers show. The artist does not draw out details but builds form through colour and texture. The contrast between the raised, almost sculptural flowers and the soft, flowing background makes the bouquet the main protagonist of the painting and gives it the feel of fresh, just-cut greenery. The artist's signature is not visible in the photograph provided.

The palette combines warm ochre, golden brown, amber and copper shades of the petals with deep and light greens of the leaves and touches of turquoise. The bright lime patch of the vase enlivens the lower part of the painting, while the cool grey-lilac background softens the warm range and lends it a noble restraint. The mood is that of late summer drawing to a close: the sunflowers have slightly faded, their petals have darkened, and there is quiet warmth in this, the generosity of the season and a light sadness for the passing sunny days.

Orest Tsyupko is a Ukrainian painter and a member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine. He has taken part in art plein airs in Poland, Slovakia and other European countries and organises international plein airs in Khust, where he heads the city art gallery. His works are distinguished by attention to colour and natural forms, and still life and landscape hold an important place in his work.

The 60 × 50 cm format suits a kitchen, dining room, living room or country house. The warm yellow-brown and green tones go especially well with natural wood, linen textiles, ceramics and country or Provence-style interiors, while the neutral grey background allows the work to fit into a contemporary space as well. The painting will make a warm gift for a woman, parents or a colleague, as well as for a lover of painterly floral still lifes. The relief of the petals is best revealed in side daylight, so a wall next to a window is a good place for the work.