Working in Series

I've created a series of irises in the last month, progressing from "real" to more wild interpretations.  Yesterday's was among the wildest.  These small pieces were among the more conventional ones, when I was exploring a combination of ultramine blues and burnt sienna as the background, in a tonal approach.

Voltaire also said, "The secret of being a bore is to tell everything."  I'm not sure if they qualify for Voltaire's definition of "boring," because I like them.  They are "pretty", but definitely far more traditional than many of my interpretations.

Correcting Nature

Voltaire once said, "The secret of the arts is to correct nature."  At the very least, this applies most especially to painting landscape.  This painting of irises may not correct nature, but it certainly interprets freely! ("Crazy" 16x20 oil)

More Enchantment

The Land of Enchantment--sometimes I think that means all the airborne parts!  The wind has been pretty persistent this year--maybe even more than usual?

This is a 24x18 oil stick and palette knife that I painted plein air at the Hondo Iris Farm last week.  I finally repainted and finished it yesterday.  The composition was hopelessly busy--a limitation of being onsite, as I am tempted to put in too much information.  I've painted out the buildings above the garden.  The foreground irises also made a switch from violet to yellow (!), as I couldn't get them to "pop" with the violets.  I'm much happier now.

Iris Inspiration

The Hondo Iris Farm has been especially inspirational this year!  The garden has only recently reached its peak of color.  The blooms are fabulous and prolific, in spite of the wicked winds we have had this year.

I have been to visit three times already, twice to paint.  This 7"x5" oil was my first burst from the fairyland!  It captures the "feel" of the garden without being photo-representational.

The farm is open 10-5 every single day in May, so you still have time to go.