Morning Sun 2015

Editor: This is Bernadette Resha's "Morning Sun" from 2015, done in watercolor. It's incredibly cheerful! It just bursts with summery happiness, right? The sunflowers really pop against that cool blue background. What do you make of it? Curator: Oh, it does sing, doesn't it? You know, the interesting thing about sunflowers is how they embody resilience. They're not delicate posies. Resha captures that sunny determination perfectly in her loose, flowing style. Do you see how the blue almost vibrates around the yellow? Editor: Yes, the colors are really intense. And it looks like she didn't blend the colors too much. It feels fresh, somehow. Curator: Exactly! It's as though she’s caught the fleeting feeling of that first strong blast of summer, with its optimism, its slight recklessness. I like to think she felt this on a bright morning. Perhaps one very like this! It’s the visual equivalent of that first sip of iced tea on a scorching day, what do you think? Editor: That makes perfect sense. I was just seeing pretty flowers, but you're right, there's something bolder there, in the execution. Curator: Isn’t it a treat how a painting can show you something new each time you come to visit? It shows its mood in relation to our own, as do sunflowers to the sun itself! Editor: Totally, I'll never look at a sunflower the same way again!