A Floral Image | A Burst of Yellow

Well its been a busy month, in fact its been a busy start to the year, which is wonderful but is keeping me away from my little blog here longer then I would wish at times. However we shall soldier on and I will do my absolute best to update you all more regularly.

Spring has most certainly sprung here in Ireland. I took an opportunity a couple of weekends ago to visit the beautiful Gardens at the Powerscourt Estate. Powerscourt Estate; or Eastát Chúirt an Phaoraigh in Irish, is located near Enniskerry in County Wicklow and is a large country estate which is noted for its house and landscaped gardens. The house, originally a 13th century castle, was extensively altered during the 18th century by German architect Richard Cassels, starting in 1731 and finishing in 1741. A fire in 1974 left the house lying as a shell until it was renovated in 1996.(source: Wiki)

While the house itself is lovely and has some great attractions such as the lovely Avoca Restaurant and lots of quaint little shops; it is the gardens that are the real draw for me. The gardens are manicured to within an inch of their lives with beautifully crafted trees, a Japanese gardens, winged horse statues, Triton Lake, Dolphin Pond, walled gardens, Bamberg Gate and the Italian Garden. I was really lucky with the weather on the day with blue skys and warm sunshine.

While the gardens are not yet in full bloom there was plenty of new life emerging. These beautifully vibrant yellow Tulips really caught my eye as I was wandering through the Italian Gardens. As is the norm for me with my Floral work a straight up image of the flower was just not going to do. Instead I focused on the details inside the flower head and let the bright yellow petals act as a natural frame for a single delicate stamen.