Tulip seed cases

After several weeks visiting relatives (LOTS of relatives) on the other coast, and taking the red eye flight back east, followed by a two hour drive home, you'd think the first thing I'd do is hit the sack, but no. Might as well stay up; easier to get back on eastern time that way.

The tulips were in full bloom when I left, and I should have just clipped them. By the time I got back I had nearly mature seed cases. Not good for the bulbs, but they are intriguing and interesting against the later flowers, so I decided to try capturing their beauty. At least that's what this started as, and they are still there, in a different way.

Soft pastel on sage Tiziano with pumice ground

14x14cm (5.5x5.5 in)

The first try looked muddy, so I scumbled it a bit, tried again, realized that the vision I had in mind was not going to happen, so I just went for the color. It was fun and spontaneous, and I think somehow caught a little more of the feeling of the seed pods than the refined version I had in mind. This is more how I experience the seeing of things. Guess being mentally fried made me cut through all the conventions that usually take me a while to let go of.

A friend of mine saw it and had a hard time putting it down. So now it's hers. And I have a beautiful monoprint of hers hanging next to my computer where I can see it every day.