A Tiny Little Flower...

During the last couple weeks we have found a new trail to hike called the Whitefish Trail. It runs through a lot of private land as well as public lands that have been cleared of the thick forest undergrowth with the idea of limiting fuel for a potential wildfire in the area. Because of the open areas under the trees, there are many different varieties of wildflowers grow in the area. The trail is quite winding with a nice variation of terrain, but not too challenging for Sharon and myself. The mile and a half walk leads to a really wonderful view of mountains, valleys and directly below is Skyles Lake -- a terrific sight.


So, during our hikes at this place I have been shooting lots of pictures of the wildflowers that grow there. One in particular that really struck my fancy is called the Elegant Cat's Ear. At first I thought it was a Trillium. It's called that because each petal has small appendages than appear to be hairs. The shape of the individuals petals must have reminded the person who named the flower of a cat's ear. The blossoms measure approximately .75" up to about 1.25" across. The plant stands about a foot tall. What you are looking at is a digital painting I did using one of my photos as reference. It did it with and App on my iPad called MyBrushes. It allows many variations and is reasonably easy to learn. Color and brush modification is simple and, even I was able to pick it up quickly. This image took about 3 - 4 hours to create, and that was while I was learning the App. I hope you will comment on my first effort, EVER, creating a digital painting. I hope this is a small step in learning the unlimited possibilities in this medium. More to come... - Posted from my iPad

Location:Whitefish, Montana