I put a couple washes over everything that was behind. Just being blurry wasn't enough to set them back, I found. There was too much interference with the main two flowers.

I am finding the background distracting to the foreground.

This is day two of painting on this magnolia. I am using a lot of staining colors, which are new to me and I find them just a bit scary. They are strong, transparent and vibrant. Maybe too vibrant.

This is the beginning of Magnolia Royal Star.