Two days at the Iris Gardens -- Day One

I planned two days at Schreiner's Iris Gardens on a painting retreat. Several artists from my group, the Portland Plein Air and Studio Painters, came to paint also.

Before I went, I thought about my goals for my painting days. First, I thought I would paint four 18" x 24" paintings per day and try to capture some architecture at different times of day. Maybe I could capture the changing light on the buildings, I thought. But, my first attempt at the red barn did not go well and I was not happy painting the irises from such a distance.

The days were hot and sunny. I didn't drink enough water on Day One and had a headache. I couldn't seem to drink enough to replace what I had lost.

But, I powered through the second painting, done in an isolated small garden. The third painting was the hardest because I was so tired. I sat down on a bench to paint that one. I couldn't imagine painting a fourth painting.