Melanie McKenzie
They have wonderful stories of when they were young

Oil

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ARTIST STATEMENT

The late-summer sunflowers stand tall in the long afternoon light, their once-brilliant petals softened and fading. Painted as though through a blurred lens, the scene surrenders sharp detail to reveal something gentler: the quiet dignity of flowers past their prime.

These sunflowers, no longer bold, but still luminous, hold the grace of age and the stories of seasons endured.

Their softened forms and echoes of gold invite us to see

beauty beyond perfection,

to recognise resilience

and tenderness in decline.

In their weathered faces, there is memory,

continuity,

and the quiet celebration of lives fully turned toward the sun.