Black Swallowtail

This is another Christmas present painting.  It was painted in December 2009.  It is a fairly large canvas (24x36) compared to what I usually use for painting.   This painting was a challange.  But my painting journey is a series of mistakes and frustration, corrections and discoveries.  Little by little I am learning.  But I still have a difficult time with foliage!      Where are the butterflies this year???????  I have waited for them to show up, planted things they like, but where are they?  I find butterflies difficult to photograph; they flutter around so fast!     But they make great painting subjects!