From the Painting Guide: I think you've captured a great sense of light in the painting, which is something the Impressionists strived for. And you've certainly got a good command of your medium – it really feels as if I could pick up those sunflowers; they've a lovely tactile feel to them. Looking at the composition or placing of the elements, although the central focus (big sunflower in the middle) and symmetry of this painting (flowers repeated on either side of the central one) are a bold step, it does have its drawbacks in that the viewer's eye is repeatedly drawn back to the central sunflower to the detriment of the rest of the painting. The background pattern, which echoes the petals of the flowers, creates a slightly abstracted effect in which the flowers bend into their surroundings. This also emphasises the central focus. The vase looks like it's floating slightly, rather than being anchored solidly to the surface it's standing on. There don't seem to be enough stalks for the number of flowers in the vase – there are two or perhaps three stalks yet five flowers. Even with fairly murky water I'd expect to see something of all the stalks.