Thistles, Butterflies, and Cats...photography and watercolor

I've been out driving around looking for thistle...as you can tell from above, I hit the motherload.  I think I've got enough images now to do a series this winter. 

This is a watercolor cat I did from a friend's photo.  I don't work from photos every often and never from somebody else work.  If I know I'm going to paint from a photo, typically I do a quick sketch and then take the photo myself.  Anyway, it was a good learning experience for me. 

Laters... ~Moon