After a long winter followed by the pandemic we are experiencing now, I was inspired to paint some of my irises. Flowers are so fresh and have vivid colors that lift one’s spirits, especially at this time.

I used some of my previous sketches of the bi-colored irises variety we planted in our old garden in Centerville. All of my sketches are done from life. Their ruffled petals of lemony yellow and deep purple flags on the bottom captures the essence of spring. Some of the cooler green fronds are suggested, and I concentrated on the flower shapes. The composition has a contrasting, layered tonal background. The first washes consisted of cerulean blue and chinese white. After that dried, I layered a wash of thalo blue, alizarin crimson and ultramarine blue.