ABOUT THE PAINTING... The "Sun-bather" was painted from my own sunflower plants when they grew particularly big one hot summer a few years ago... over 10 feet! There were very few Monarchs then (and still are now), and this is one of the few that paid a visit that summer. I tried to make a flowing dynamic composition with golden yellow and orange tones being contrasted against the darker flatter summer greens while blurring the distant sunflowers nearby for some contrast. The Monarch was a perfect fit for this painting.