Poppy Hillside, Superbloom 2019

by Brian Tada

Title

Poppy Hillside, Superbloom 2019

Artist

Brian Tada

Medium

Photograph - Digital Photograph

Description

California poppies (Eschscholzia californica) dominate one of many hills at the Antelope Poppy Reserve near Lancaster, California during a rare superbloom in late March 2019.

This photo, like all my others, was taken from an officially designated park trail, to prevent trampling of this precious resource and to conserve for future generations to enjoy.

It is uncropped and unedited, straight from the camera to show very close to how I actually saw this extraordinary landscape in person.

This reserve is in the Western Mojave Desert at the 2,600 to 3,000 foot elevation range above sea level. As I hiked higher on the hill trails, the poppies became numerous, until they blanketed the hillside as seen here.

A park ranger on duty informed me that the day I took this photo was when the California state flower was reaching its peak at the reserve, on a warm, sunny day with little to no wind — ideal conditions for poppy photography in the high desert.

The years of drought to lessen invasive weeds, combined with an unusually wet winter of well-timed rains provided the necessary ingredients for this spectacular floral display, which is considered by many to be among the best blooming seasons in several years.

I have NEVER seen so many poppies at once in my life! It was like the Master Artist Himself saw fit to take His floral paintbrush and create a living natural masterpiece of remarkable beauty.

I will be forever grateful to God that I was able to fulfill a bucket-list dream of seeing something like this while in south-central California to attend meetings with Joan Hunter Ministries. God’s timing is perfect.

This photo is dedicated in loving memory of my precious Mother Cheryl who loved nature and instilled in me a respect for the Lord's creation, to be a good steward of these precious natural resources.

Of the nearly 800 photos I took of this extraordinary place, this is among my favorites.

The Creator truly displays His extravagant love through the beauty of nature!

"For behold, the winter has past,
the rain is over, it has gone.
Blossoms appear in the land,
the time of singing has come,
and the voice of the turtle-dove
is heard in our land."
~ Song of Songs 2:11-12

*****

THANK YOU to the precious customer from Buffalo, New York who purchased a 12” x 8” print of "Poppy Hillside, Superbloom 2019". May you enjoy your purchase for many years to come. God bless you!


*****

Giving glory to God this image won the following contest awards on Fine Art America ::

3rd Place (tie) in the "Field of Flowers" contest sponsored by the Weekly Photography Challenge, 02.20.21. Thank you to group and contest host Sharon Popek for hosting the contest and to those who voted. God bless you! And, Congratulations to the other winners!

3rd Place, juried contest, "Orange Euphoria - Your Love of Orange" contest, 05.30.20. Special thank you to Rahdne Zola who hosted the contest, and congratulations to the other winners!


*****

Grateful to God and thankful to the group administrator(s) for graciously featuring this image on the home page(s) of the Fine Art America group(s) ::

* VISIONS OF SPRING - GLANCES OF SUMMER, 07.02.19
* NATURE LANDMARKS LANDSCAPES WILDLIFE - ONE A DAY, 07.10.19
* NEW FAA UPLOADS, LIMIT 1 PER DAY, 07.10.19
* ORANGE EUPHORIA, 05.30.20


Special Recognition:

06.20.20:: Pic(k) of the Day, Orange Euphoria Group. Thank you to group host Rahdne Zola for this selection. God bless you!


*****

Artwork notes:

Embedded in the top right-hand corner is the Hebrew acronym for "B'ezras Hashem" [ב ס " ד] meaning "with God's help". It is a reminder to me as an artist of my dependence on the Almighty, the Originator of all creativity. This is a similar acknowledgement used by great artists like Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel who signed their work with the Latin phrase, "Soli Deo gloria" which means, "Glory to God alone".

Scripture taken from the Holy Scriptures, Tree of Life Version. Copyright © 2011, 2012, 2013 by the Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society. Used by permission of the Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society. "TLV" and "Tree of Life Version" and "Tree of Life Holy Scriptures" are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark office by the Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.

Photograph copyright © 2019 Brian Tada. All rights reserved. To the glory of God. This image may not be copied, photographed, downloaded, distributed, displayed online or altered without the express written permission from the photographer.

More artwork is available at: www.PropheticPortraits.net

Uploaded

July 1st, 2019

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