Passing Fancy

By Carrie Jacobson
Here in Connecticut, I live near a place called Buttonwood Farm. Some would argue that its claim to fame is its delicious homemade ice cream… I would argue that its sunflower fields and related charitable project is where its real glory is.

Every year in July, Buttonwood Farm grows acres and acres of sunflowers, cuts them and sells them, giving the funds to the Make-A-Wish foundation. This year, the farm raised more than $100,000.

The sunflower bouquets are a draw, and the ice cream is a draw, but the fields of sunflowers themselves are the real draw for me.

It is a fantastic sight to see, yellow and yellow and yellow, the sun come to earth on tall stalks, brightening even the grayest of days.

Painting sunflowers is about as fun as it gets for me, and so I’ve gone back day after day to paint. The first day, someone bought my painting before I had finished it. The painting I made the second day sold before it was dry. So far, I have the third and fourth-day paintings, and they are headed for the Mystic Outdoor Art Festival this weekend, in downtown Mystic, CT.

By the time I made this painting, late last week, the hot weather had done its work, withering leaves and forcing the flowers’ heavy heads to droop, their crown of petals to curl.

I think the sunflowers are gorgeous, even bowing and passing as they are here.

“Passing Fancy” is 12 inches by 48 inches, oil on canvas. If you’re interested in finding out about price and delivery, please email me at carrieBjacobson@gmail.com