The first thing a sunflower loses is what we notice most. Its bright yellow petals curl, dry, and eventually fall away, but so much of the flower remains. The green leaves beneath the petals still hold their shape, the stem stays strong, and the flower continues to stand long after the color that first drew us in has disappeared. I was struck by how sturdy sunflowers are, even near the end of their lives. They don’t immediately collapse. Instead, they continue to hold themselves together, carrying the weight of the lived experience.
It made me think about how easily we confuse visible change with decline. As we grow older, the qualities people notice first begin to change, but those outward changes say very little about what remains underneath. Strength, character, memory, and experience don’t disappear as quickly as youth does. This painting is about recognizing the parts of us that endure, even after the things that once defined our appearance have begun to fade.
