Wildflowers Revisited

Years ago, when my children were young and we were getting them started on hiking, I began to draw and paint wildflowers during our many pit stops along the trail. It was a way to help me learn the names of the 100's of flowers that are found in the Rocky Mountains. This year is a banner year for wildflowers and I decided to pick up where I left off in 2003, the last drawing I did and when I had put together a little book of my drawings.
My first attempts to draw small after drawing with a paintbrush on large canvases seemed difficult for me. I felt the drawing was way off and stilted.  The relationships were off between the leaves and the flower.

potentilla, false start

Cinquefoil (pontentilla) 2003

I redrew flowers I knew I had done before just to see how much my style might have changed in the intervening years. I would say it has changed quite a bit! To me I think the older version would be better for keying into and identifying the flowers in the field.

Low Penstemon, 2020

This low penstemon I did the other day I had to lay on my belly to see it at eye level. I made sure that there was no flora that I would crush, just a dusty dry gravel. The trail was running between the flower and me.

Low Penstemon, 2000

Here is another one I thought I had done before and I wanted to see which was the 'better' of the two. Lo and behold, I had not done it before! This is called Butter and Eggs and I thought it was a Golden Pea. Obviously, it has been awhile since I have seen the golden pea! They are alike in color, height and similar in structure. Otherwise, very different.

Butter and Eggs, 2020

Golden Pea, 2000

I had a good illustrative style going after doing so many every summer back in the day. I need a bit more practice before I will use any of my newer drawings. They are too different and need some refining. The one exception might be this Sego Lily. Amazingly, this is one I had not done before. They were in two colors, white and pale pink. I think I prefer the drawings without doing them in pen. I will leave them done in pencil in future. Your thoughts?

Sego Lily, 2020

I am enjoying using this renewed interest to get me up hiking in the high country. It has been a long time since I have gone hiking this much and it has been good for renewing my soul, if not yet my drawing ability!