What Next??

There is something simply enchanting ~ to me, at least ~ in the colors of flowers dried and wilted.
I have an affinity to Fantasy subject matter, having collected Faerie Tales all my life, and having always been an avid reader of the genre.
I absolutely love the darkened, faded shades of flowers that have lived their lives, either in the garden or in the wild...and it is this, I believe, that endears the ones that have died to the general appearance of a Faerie drawing.
Of course, there are the florals that are pictured with the Little People that are bright and thriving, in full bloom and at the peak of their "time."
But, even tho' this may sound strange to the common ear, to the one who reads this and who might not be artistically-bent or fantasy-minded, it makes perfect sense to me.
As the glory of a newly-opened flower brings in the work of Faeries who will tend to its needs, to keep it in bloom for as long as possible, the faded flowers also have a beauty of their own ~ and the different shades of color that come into play are a huge part of their attraction for me.
The flowers in this picture, for example, are from a wild flower bouquet that my daughter's boyfriend had given her and we both argued about keeping the dried flowers...she because of the sentimental value to her, me because of the artistic value of the dried flower arrangement.
Of course, she won. I would never take away a much-loved piece that had so much memory for her...but I did get to take these pictures for "future reference" ~ lol ~ and so, now that her wedding flowers are nearly completely designed, I will begin soon to draw the dried flowers that have been calling out to me for a very long time now.
I still have to do Nick's boutonnière, and maybe one more bouquet for the Maids, but then I will move on to the dried flowers and leaves that I want to do.
And I will love adding figures of faeries to the mix, thereby combining my two favorite subject matters in one ~ figures and florals ~ with just a touch of imagination thrown in for fun!