Rust Protea with Copper

Description

I have an attraction to protea. They are colourful, intricate, interesting, and prehistoric. They have existed for 300 million years.

These proteas were a gift, and I couldn’t resist painting them from a live specimen. No matter what’s going on in the studio, I clear everything to paint from real blooms. Proteas are resilient and by their complex foliage also give the impression of being hardy to winds and to drought. Their seeds are fire resistant. They have evolved to give us this flawless form.