Wild Flowers Sketchy Walk Oct 2014 Journal Page
I was worried while I was away in Bali that I would miss the best of brief wildflower season at home. But I shouldn’t have worried as there were still plenty to be found and best of all the little bush orchids and lilies were out.
Blue Pimpernal, Waxlip Orchid and hairy caterpillar
These sketches were done over the last couple of weekends on some lovely sketchy walks in the sun. I was first caught by the most amazingly vivid blue flowers in the grass, lucky they were so bright as they were tiny, little things. Most of these wild flowers are tiny, but just so beautiful when you get up close and personnel with them. You have to go walking so you are slow enough to be able to see them, shyly hiding in the grasses. There were plenty of the little waxliped orchids out, they come up singly on a long thin stem, and just nod in the breeze. For the first time ever, I saw a whole group of them together, it took my breath away and I was sure there would be fairies about.
Waxlip Orchids
There were loads of paper everlasting daises and I found some other funny little flowers with long grass like stems, I was told they were weeds, just haven’t found out what type yet. Never mind they are pretty to me. Because the sun was shining so brightly I also made little drawings of the shadows the flowers cast on my page.
Golden Paper Everlastings and cute little pink flower
The following weekend I saw even more orchids and had the luck to run into a knowledgeable wildflower enthusiast beside the dirt track and he was kind enough to help me with my identification. I was really pleased that my sketches were good enough to identify the flowers from! Here is the Twinning Fringe Lily, only about 7-10mm big and it twines up on other things and also the Chocolate Lily, with its nodding flowers on tall thin spikes.
Twinning Orchid
Chocolate Lilly Journal Page
I also saw this little yellow flower which my new friend kindly identifies as a Bent Goodenia, what a great name and a cute little flower.
Bent Goodenia
The yellow buttons that I drew in an earlier walk were going to seed, just like a dandelion so I just had to stop and draw these as well.
Yellow Buttons going to seed
Here finally is a very quick sketch of one of the mines that still dot the landscape and remind us that this was once one of the busiest and richest minefields in the world.
Old Gold Mine Journal Page
I will leave you with this last photo of all the yellow everlasting that were carpeting the bush, spring is so magical.
Karen
Paper Everlastings
Karen Bailey Studio 
I also love wildflowers but somehow missed them this year. I wonder if your sketches will be turned into your abstract designs…for instance for book covers?
Not sure where I am going to go with them, I liked the idea is mixing the colour and black shadow outlines. Isn’t that the exciting thing about art!
You don’t have to be sure of anything. Don’t even think about it and while you are NOT thinking about it, the recipes will be bubbling away inside your subconscious! You’ll see.
Those little orchids are delicious! Maybe we get them in NSW but I have never seen them. I did see masses of the most spectacular displays in WA when we were there in 2009, looking forward to seeing them again next year. Drawing the shadows like that gives all sorts of opportunities for developing the idea. Look forward to seeing what develops!
Thanks Anna, I just adore those tiny orchids, don’t know enough about them to understand how far their habitat spreads. I would love to see the WA wildflowers, there was the usual pictures on the news the other day of them, just so spectacular. It seems like I will have to live vicariously through your trip again, I know you will do some great sketches.
I have actually just revived a drawing I started a couple of years ago of a much enlarged and exaggerated spider orchid. If it goes well I will share it!
Lovely pages, and I really like the contrast with the shadow outlines of the plants, and you are getting lots done. I walk along a footpath over farmland every morning and what I am really noticing is the ancient oaks, beeches and sweet chestnuts that I pass, but I feel really inhibited to take out my sketchbook and draw ‘in public’ (not that I have ever met anyone on my walks!). Weird…… So well done you on doing it.
It is hard to start sketching outside, I still feel self conscious, but it gets easier and people have been very kind and supportive. Karen