Flame Azalea Stamen and Pistil

Who knew one could spend an entire afternoon painting 36 small thin lines?  And yet I did!  It never occurred to me that it would take so long.  I mean really, what's the big deal?  Dip the brush in paint, lay down the line and get on to the next one, right?  Well, if you are trying to portray threadlike, nearly translucent, pastel-colored stamen and sturdy yet similarly pastel-colored pistils protruding from flower centers and waving in the morning breeze, you've got another thing coming.  These particular stamen and pistils change color from coral at the base to palest yellow green at the tips, and look entirely different depending on whether they are in the sun or shadow.  Good grief..........  So at any rate, I finished one flower cluster today, and I'll do the other one tomorrow.  It is difficult to see in this photo but here's how it looks so far:

I am reminded of Picasso's famous line: "There are painters that can change the sun into a yellow blot, but there are others, that due to their talent and intelligence can change a yellow blot into the sun."

Only 42 lines to go!