"Handsome Artie Choke"

I have always been fascinated with the artichoke. It has an interesting quality of its own. As it opens up you get many different feels to the beauty of the flower. I captured this the other day, and was in awe of its structure at this stage. Everything you see in this image is in the flower. I have brought out some of the textures and enhanced the colors somewhat, but I couldn't get this results if everything wasn't in the flower to begin with. I think this flower has a pre-historic character to it with a beauty not seen unless you look. Enjoy!

"Handsome Artie Choke"