I've always loved this sketch and thought I'd do a full out painting based on it sometime. Several years ago I went to visit my friend Judith in Philadelphia and we went to the flower show they have there every year.

It is a wonderful thing that show, filled with beautiful sights and smells for the cold March days when it usually runs. I took as many photos as I could in the mostly low lighting conditions and this oil sketch is based on one of my favorites.

I originally thought I'd paint a scarab there off to the left that's what the green smudge is. I also thought about raising it first with gesso and maybe gold leaving parts of the tiny bug as they sometimes appear that way. We'll see, for now it's a great reminder of future possibilities and past memories.