quiet back country road
I spent the morning gathering the most interesting assortment of fresh wild flowers, vines, ferns, and fascinating little weeds from the far corners of my yard and along a quiet back country road nearby. I set them in little containers of water on my desk, and began the process of hand sketching, inking, coloring their botanical details. I researched the names of those that were unfamiliar to me, though some were well known to me. There were childhood favorites including sweet clover and tangy wood sorrel, both edible little plants that grew freely in the grass where I played with my cousins when we were little. Another favorite was the sweet Creeping Jenny that smells so wonderfully minty when I mow the patch of lawn where it thrives. Others I was surprised to learn were the wild relatives of plants that we're all familiar with, such as the wild morning glory and cut leaf coneflower whose cultivated cousins are much showier! Even the pretty, colorful painted Athyrium Niponicum fern I found growing "wild" had most likely been planted nearby by someone long ago, and had gone native. In creating this pattern, I've tried to capture just a bit of the wonder, the chaos and the fleeting beauty of the wild botanical life outside as creative inspiration for home decor, quilt fabric, a wall pattern, wrapping paper, clothing and more. This print is also available in my shop in these wonderful monochromatic versions: https://www.spoonflower.com/designs/12256666-back-roads-botanical-white-indigo-by-gartmanstudio https://www.spoonflower.com/designs/12256659-back-roads-botanical-soft-terra-cotta-by-gartmanstudio https://www.spoonflower.com/designs/12256640-back-roads-botanical-rose-blush-by-gartmanstudio https://www.spoonflower.com/designs/12256638-back-roads-botanical-pale-wheat-by-gartmanstudio https://www.spoonflower.com/designs/12256611-back-roads-botanical-pale-olive-green-by-gartmanstudio https://www.spoonflower.com/designs/12256591-back-roads-botanical-camel-coffee-by-gartmanstudio