How could I have forgotten how much I love irises? I've known this lovely one - a gift from my daughter last Christmas - was about to open for the first time some day soon, but I just gasped at the sight of this beauty a few minutes ago when I went out to water the garden.
Why do I love irises so much? It's party the colours. Such an astonishing range from blues through the violets into the yellows, browns and blushes, pinks, plums and whites. It's partly the upswept, convoluted complexity, and the surprising richness and textural contrast of the 'beards'.
It's partly the mysterious hidden depths, and the soft shade within on a sunny day. It's like a miniature room in there.
And it's also the flamboyant frills and ruffles like a flamenco dancer's dress.
But, mainly I think, it's because I love to paint them, and they often get the better of me. I love the challenge of them.
Thank you N, for this one!
I've never had a cultivated Iris but the wild Iris that abound in the marsh below my house in Scotland are simple and beautiful.
ReplyDeleteGeeb. I've only once seen and iris in the wild - in the smoky mountains of Georgia. There're wild violets there too.
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