Iris

 "Iris - Peking Summer" -- oil on canvas 6x6"

 "Iris - Honkey Tonk Blues" -- oil on canvas 6x6"

 

 "Iris - Stairway to Heaven #1" -- oil on canvas 6x6"

 

 "Iris - Good Show #1" -- oil on canvas 6x6"

 

 "Iris - Stairway to Heaven #2" -- oil on canvas 6x6"

 

 "Iris - Good Show #2" -- oil on canvas 6x6"

 

With the arrival of tourist season up here, we artists have been a flurry of activity, varnishing, framing, schlepping paintings hither and yon to galleries, and I had fallen behind on my blog posts!  These are the latest paintings I've done this past week.  A friend had called me on Monday, asking if I'd like to join her and a couple other painters at the Iris Farm, west of Traverse City.  So glad I went!

It was like stepping into Heaven!  Not only was it beautiful -- acres and acres of beautiful flowers in every color, but the smell was wonderful.  Sunny and perfect!

 

Before painting, I took an order form and walked around, picking out varieties I wanted to buy.  I ended up with 13, although I'd have loved to have one of everything.  

 

It was pretty hot: about 90.  So I only painted 1 little 6x6" there (the "Peking Summer").  I cut stems from the other varieties and brought home to paint in my cool studio.  I'd cut 4 but it looks like only 3 would open. 

 

The iris were unlike any I'd seen before: huge and many were very ruffled.  I'm so used to seeing older varieties.  Iris that somebody's great grandmother brought over, very small and unadorned.  So it was pretty exciting!