Well, not too otherworldly. The desert was my inspiration. There is a bloom that looks like a striped starfish. It grows in Africa, and has a horrible odor. Which of course attracts bugs. The Starfish Flower Cactus. Haha. Appropriate. Combines my love of the sea, and of the desert. It is more of a succulent than a cactus. The smaller “bloom” in this design was inspired by String of Pearls. With a twist. I love those plants. And yes, I love peas. And I do think they look like they are from a distant planet.
I created a few more blooms, but felt like I needed to keep it sparse. Like the desert. I reworked the background I had used for the roadrunner design. I copied more of the sandy, jagged markings and placed them throughout. I started with more of a caramel background. A very warm sand. But here it looks more orange. Works for fall though! And Mars is reddish orange.😂 Voting is open now thru the 20th.
So grateful for your votes! I know it is a chore. Time for me to vote, and check out the fabulous designers! 😂
Wishing you JOY!
So pretty!!! Love the background story on this one. <3
YAY 🙂 So glad you like it. Thanks Karin 🙂 It looks familiar, doesn’t it. LOL 🙂
Happy painting to you! 🙂
Sheila, love that before I read anything my first impression was starfish; then I read your post in which you informed me I was looking at a Starfish Flower Cactus—bingo! This pattern is quite magical in its ability to hold a hugely generous and captivating amount of details for my eye to explore—very engaging—while maintaining an overall feeling of simplicity. No small accomplishment! Two things that caught my attention and appeal to me: (1) the juxtaposition of 5-5-5 of the inner star, dots, and inner petals (all very pointy and star oriented) against the 4 of the broader rounder supporting final layer of petals; and (2) the way your blossoms maintain a feeling of general random placement, not lining up in strict rows or columns. Also, love the pop-it beads feel of the playful string-of-pearls botanicals!
What an accomplishment! Captivating and simple. I love that. Thank you Dotty.:)
It’s not always easy to get a good toss pattern, I often end up with surprise
rows. LOL. Just as I do when painting a bunch of flowers. LOL. 🙂
So great to hear you feel this works as a whole. 🙂
I love those rounded petals with the wood grain. I have used them many times before.
And truth be told, I was happy to use them, because the pattern is already complete, the repeat.
So the hard part was already done. 🙂 Recycle, reuse, re-design. Hahaha. Thanks so much for your
in depth review Dotty. I always enjoy hearing your take on things. 🙂
Happy creating my friend!
Those Starfish Flower cacti are so Dr. Seuss looking and other worldly. I almost got one until I read that they smell like decaying meat! Love succulents unique appearance, too, so I really love your new design. Really works well for Fall decor accessories that don’t scream Halloween or Thanksgiving, so it has a longer seasonal appeal.
I know, I love the flower, and there is a spotted one that is pretty. Not sure if that one stinks too.
Nature is so interesting. So glad you love this Teresa. Succulents have been favorites of mine for a long time.
You are right, and I hadn’t thought of that. Longer appeal. 🙂 Thanks so much Teresa! 🙂