Darling Dahlia

Flowers are fabulous subjects to paint.  They are beautiful, intricate, challenging and in the end very satisfying.  This one is a dahlia from a bouquet I got for Mothers day.  I am finding that I enjoy painting subjects close up, at least for now.  I like seeing the textures and detail that you don't see when you are painting subjects from further back.  So, here is this darling dahlia that was interesting due to it's many layers.  I had to figure out which part of the flower I needed to paint first (and know why!)  Of course, I didn't figure that out right away.  But I got it...! Enjoy!

Darling Dahlia, 12"x12", oil on canvas