May was a busy month! In addition to the 12 new digital collage pieces for Whispers On The Wind exhibition, I also made 12 new Threadography® pieces for Johnsons of Madrid (in Madrid New Mexico)!Free-range Spiderwort (above) is one of them. DH and I came across these growing along a highway outside of Denver, Colorado. We were following a trail of dinosaur tracks and found several lovely wildflowers along the path.
The highlights and shadows made it fun to stitch.
Warm Heart (above and detail below) was taken in a public park in my hometown, Fort Wayne, Indiana.
The digital manipulation of the photograph really brings out the texture, doesn't it?
Tulip Tranquility (above and below) began as a photo of a white tulip. Its petals were limp, allowing a good view of the anatomy.
Working on flower images makes me remember the question I answered incorrectly on the final exam of Taxonomy of Flowering Plants (botany) in college. The question was about the two classifications of flowering plants. We had studied this all tri-mester, but my mind went blank. All these years later I thunk myself on the head and say "Monocots and dicots, you ding-dong!"
Trop-i-Canna (above and detail below) was also photographed in a park in Fort Wayne—in the rose garden, but don't let the name fool you. The gardeners have an ever-changing array of botanical specimens throughout the growing season.
Orange is one of my favorite colors and I love adding detail in the highlights and shadows!
Sunbright (above and detail below) was taken on a farm located near Auburn, Indiana. The owner has bees and planted more than an acre of sunflowers to supply nectar for his bees that year.
DH and I bought big bunches of sunflowers from them at the farmer's market AND snagged an invitation to photo the field. I was a little nervous, since I'm allergic to bee stings, but we got some great shots without incident.
Shades of Hibiscus (above and detail below) was especially fun to stitch because the petals are easy to outline, and the shadows and pistil/stamen of the blossom provided plenty of interesting stitching challenges.
Sunbright (above and detail below) was taken on a farm located near Auburn, Indiana. The owner has bees and planted more than an acre of sunflowers to supply nectar for his bees that year.
DH and I bought big bunches of sunflowers from them at the farmer's market AND snagged an invitation to photo the field. I was a little nervous, since I'm allergic to bee stings, but we got some great shots without incident.
Shades of Hibiscus (above and detail below) was especially fun to stitch because the petals are easy to outline, and the shadows and pistil/stamen of the blossom provided plenty of interesting stitching challenges.
The low-contrast variegated red cotton thread provided lovely depth within the petals.
Another of my favorite Amish poppies (above and detail below). The poppies the Amish lady dug for my garden didn't survive the winter, but her poppy bed was beautiful again this spring.
Every time I stitch the center of a poppy flower I learn something more about the structure!
Peppermint Climbers (above and detail below) was also photographed in Lakeside Rose Garden. All the pillars in the huge pergolas are surrounded by these climbing beauties!
Each blossom is unique, with different arrangements of the red/pink/and white colorations.
Iris spotlight was photographed in my own garden. I really know very little about iris varieties, other than to stick them in the ground with a little of the root above the dirt level—and water. The beds were beautiful this year and I look forward to adding more yellow to the color mixture.
Gerbera Destiny (above and below) was also photographed in my garden. It must have been early in the season, before the heat and humidity had a chance to fry the plants.
This year I paid attention to the location of shade from the tree and planted the Gerberas so they'd receive only partial sun. Hopefully, that will keep them from baking in July and August.
Definitely Daffodils (actually, they might be jonquils; I don't remember how to tell them apart) is another photo taken in one of Fort Wayne's beautiful gardens. Foster Park is one of the oldest parks in town, and is located in an historic residential area.
This park is a favorite place for golfing, tennis, jogging, walking—and tiptoeing through the tulips! 
All Is At Peace (above and detail below). The peace rose has to be my favorite. The way the colors mesh and separate remind me of a dance—and the way the colors change from the bud stage to fading beauty just fascinates me.
Well, this concludes what I actually finished in May. There are others in various stages on my work table, of course. Tomorrow is the first of my studio workshops. We'll be doing rust dyeing—and there's a space left in class, if you'd like to join us!! Just let me know. :-)
