I love how the light is captured in these blossoms and lower leaves, and I used my pen and colored pencils to enhance some of the details. In a watercolor like this, sometimes the background is the most challenging part! I don't use masking fluid much anymore, so I have to wet large areas at one time, carefully edging around my shapes, then drop fluid colors in until there is enough saturation of color to suit my subject, all the while never letting an edge dry out. It's very stressful! The light shapes are highlights created by using a soft damp brush and tissues to lift out the small shapes while the paint is still damp--a technique that I learned from Jeannie Vodden.
Prairie Fire is a crabapple, and YES her blossoms are this vibrant! She grows in my garden in a raised bed, and has been content to share her blossoms for two weeks every spring. I planted her in 2006, to celebrate my recovery from thyroid cancer. Every year when she blooms, I remember to be grateful to be alive!