Fritillaries on Joe-Pye Weed

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I took the reference photo for this painting at Beckman Mill Park in Rock County Wisconsin while walking across the wetlands on a raised walkway. I noticed what looked like two butterflies on a plant quite a ways away from me, out into the wetlands. I zeroed in on them with my 40x zoom lens just like a telescope and was surprised at how much detail I could see from that distance. The big difference between photographing butterflies from that distance, and from close up is that the vegetation in the background is really soft-focused. I used glazes to get that effect in this painting.

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I took the reference photo for this painting at Beckman Mill Park in Rock County Wisconsin while walking across the wetlands on a raised walkway. I noticed what looked like two butterflies on a plant quite a ways away from me, out into the wetlands. I zeroed in on them with my 40x zoom lens just like a telescope and was surprised at how much detail I could see from that distance. The big difference between photographing butterflies from that distance, and from close up is that the vegetation in the background is really soft-focused. I used glazes to get that effect in this painting.