Under The Crepe Myrtle Tree

It’s a glorious August morning and for once the humidity of a Mid-Atlantic summer isn’t making you feel like you’re growing gills.  Even your hair isn’t frizzing.

The sunshine warms you down to your soul … the air is clean and clear, and from deep in the woods you hear the call of song birds and the first, early crickets begin to sing. You take your shoes off and wade into the pond, water ankle deep, feeling the crunch of the gravel between your bare toes.  The chill is like an icy tickle. A breeze blows your hair and waves the shadows of the trees on the staircase, and everything seems to be dancing in unison.

You realize it’s one of those zen things when all the stuff you hear about yoga starts to make sense.  All five (or six?) of your senses are fully alive … you are completely in the moment.

It just doesn’t get any better.

I really enjoyed my visit to Winterthur last year … the gardens, even in deepest summer, were beautifully kept. One of my favorite parts was all these fun little garden “follies.” Though it’s mostly hidden by the crepe myrtle from this angle, I hope you can get a sense of how unique and fun the roof on this one in particular was.

Original photographic image taken in August 2014 with the Nikon D7000 and the 18-200mm vr Nikkor lens. A bit of love in Photoshop CS6 (well, a lot of love), then a full digital hand-painting in Corel Painter 2015 with my Wacom Tablet and some yummy brushes from Karen Burns. A hint of texture from Cheryl Butler added in Photoshop completed the sunny mood.

*****

A click on the image brings you to my website for a view with better image resolution a nicer watermark.  As always, any purchased items will not include a watermark.  Of any kind.  At all.  Except … my signature will be there … tiny and discreet, of course.