The Early Irises

There is a variety of iris in my garden. The yellow ones always bud up and bloom first. About a week later they are followed by white, blue, and a mixed purple and ochre. Weeks later, the purple ones finally bloom. But these are notice to me that Spring is about half done and soon we will feel the heat of summer. 

I love plein air painting. It is rather addictive as it pushes you go past limits you thought you had. In this case, I had never painted a flower without picking it first and to sit out in my garden in dappled light and really look, think about and finally paint these was much more challenging than I thought it would be.  As I worked, I really connected in a way with how Van Gogh painted. I could really understand how the directional brush strokes and the application of the paint made such a difference in the painting. I could both see it and understand it and I am excited by this painting.