A few days ago I posted a photo of a Southern hawker dragonfly on the UK Dragonflies & Damselflies page on Facebook, just to be sure of my identification of this beautiful creature.

Julie Horner was one of the people who liked my photo and she also commented, asking my permission to paint the dragonfly. I said yes, if she would give me permission to share her painting here on the blog. A deal was struck and I emailed Julie the images I shared on my Southern Hawker blog post last week.

Yesterday, Julie completed the painting and I am really delighted to be able to share her work with you. I love how she has simplified the subject matter – the iris is the perfect flower for the dragonfly to perch on, I think, and I also admire how well she has captured the detail in the wings. I’m sure you’ll agree that Julie is a really talented artist and I’m thrilled at what this impromptu collaboration has produced. You can check out more of Julie’s gorgeous paintings on her Facebook page, Horner Art Studio, and on her Etsy page.