Male Cones

Months ago I took this photo of what looked like a flower on a large pine tree. Gorgeous colors--I was perplexed about what it was. Looked it up online:

Gymnosperms are seed-bearing vascular plants, such as cycads, ginkgo, yews and conifers, in which the ovules or seeds are not enclosed in an ovary. The word "gymnosperm" comes from the Greek word gymnospermos, meaning "naked seeds". Gymnosperm seeds develop either on the surface of scale or leaf-like appendages of cones, or at the end of short stalks. The largest group of living gymnosperms are the conifers.

So after much research, I found that it's a cluster of male strobili (cones) of pine at the tip of a branch in early spring prior to the release of pollen.

8x8 on 1/8" museum quality panel

www.halliekohnart.com

Gift at the Door

I always get really cold when I paint. No idea why... The other day my front step was in full sun, so I walked out the front door with hot coffee in hand. There was a c-r-u-n-c-h sound and I looked down to see two pinecones, some flowers, and a rock on the doormat. The joys of having children and neighborhood friends. :) When I sat down, I noticed the way the light was hitting all of the scales and the way the shadow fell. Decided it could make a beautiful painting.

8x8 on 1/8" museum quality panel

www.halliekohnart.com