Blatant

Bearded Iris 'Blatant', watercolor, 20"h x 12.5"w.

I finally got around to painting this bearded iris variety called 'Blatant' that re-bloomed in my garden this fall. Painting from photos is not ideal, but since the cut flowers had faded long ago, it was the only way to do it. I think the painting comes close to, but not quite, the amazingly rich red-purple color of the falls, with that touch of gold-brown at the edges--nature's perfection is so hard to imitate. Still it was a lot of fun to try. I used a dry brush technique for the subtle shadings on the flowers.

I can't wait for spring, when the irises bloom again. I hope to be able to paint more irises direct from life then--so many colors to choose from, such lovely flower forms!

Yellow Iris Painting

Yellow Iris (Iris hybrid), watercolor, 20"h x 12"w. SOLD

After an exciting trip to the Bruce and the wealth of new botanical material I encountered there, it seems anticlimactic to go back to my ordinary life, but not everything can be a highlight, either in life or in painting. This painting of a yellow bearded iris was finished from my photos, since the irises were done blooming a couple of months ago. I never seem to have enough time to work the entire painting from life, but I'm enjoying my other art activities: teaching botanical drawing and painting classes at Art in the Valley Gallery here in Front Royal, the monthly meetings of the Blandy Sketch Group and the plein air outings with the Outdoor Painters of the Shenandoah, a group associated with Blandy.

One of the things I love about this particular iris is the intricate veining at the base of the falls, the other is that it sometimes re-blooms in the fall. Last year unfortunately, the fall blossoms were cut down by frost before they had a chance to open. I'm submitting this painting for the fall Art at the Mill show.