Another flower painting

Yesterday I finished both of the desert wildflower paintings I was working on, and dropped them off at the High Desert Nature Museum for the exhibition of wildflower inspired art. There will be a show of art using recycled materials at the same time as the wildflower exhibition. The opening is next Saturday. I think I may have overworked the Beaver Tail Cactus flower painting, but I still like how it turned out. Not bad for the first acrylic painting I've ever done.

This is the second painting I have done in acrylic. It is a painting of the Mojave Asters. Any flower that is purple or lavender colored is a hit with me, so of course I had to paint these. I worked from a photograph I took last spring, but I didn't want it to look tight or too photo realistic. That is not my style.

Pono and I had a nice walk/run this morning. It was a little crisp outside, but the sun is bright and warm. When I stopped to catch my breath and give Pono a little drink of water, I snapped this close up of what I believe is a Mojave Popcorn flower, or cryptantha confertiflora. (It could also be a Yellow Cryptantha, but I am not sure.) In either case, this tiny clump of yellow flowers belongs to the Boraginaceae family, which is the same family as the Forget-me-not. I remember these flowers from last year, because the leaves are quite large, larger than most other green things in the sandy soil, and I was thinking they would produce this big, showy blossom. However, the yellow flower clump is so delicate, that I found myself laughing about my assumption.

I hope everyone has a lovely day! I must go and enjoy some desert sunshine now.