Past the prickly stage-artichoke flowers
The images in this gallery are of artichoke flowers in a pea patch garden in Issaquah, Washington state. The artichokes were past the point where one would harvest them.
The artichoke, at the state when we eat it, is the bud of a large thistle-like flower. Here is a picture of one that got away in our garden last year. The blooms in the above gallery were just starting to show purple and prepare to open out. They brought to mind cabbage roses and waterlilies, depending on the shape and angle of view.
Photo processing
I first used RAW Therapee to apply camera specific adjustments. Then brought the photos into Topaz Studio 2. I used the AI clear filter on most (but not all) then adjusted exposure, highlights and shadows. After the image was about what I wanted I used a variety of painterly presets.