No, Georgia O'Keeffe is not the only painter of flowers!

2009

I love painting flowers. My day at Schreiner's Iris Gardens was just one of many days spent painting there. In fact, my very first blog entry (almost two years ago) was from the gardens.

It never fails to happen that when I am painting big flower portraits, someone asks me if I am trying to paint like Georgia O'Keeffe. Don't get me wrong, I like O'Keeffe's work. I admire it and enjoy looking at it and studying it. I am reading a biography about her and her work, Georgia O'Keeffe: An Eternal Spirit by Susan Wright.

But O'Keeffe is not the only painter of flowers!

Here are some of the flowers I have painted in the last couple of years:

2009

2009

2008

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2008

But, to be fair, her flowers are amazing and sensual and if I one day paint flowers like Georgia O'Keeffe ... well, that would not be a bad thing at all!

Iris Gardens -- Day Two

My goals were more realistic on day two. I started with an architectural piece, this time a white barn I could paint from a shady spot.

Then, back into the gardens to paint the yellow irises. While I painted them, a dear woman came over and asked me if I painted there regularly. For the last four years, I told her. It seems that she remembered me from a couple of years ago and I enjoyed spending some time talking with her. Actually, she recited two original poems and sang a song she had written herself a number of years ago. You never know what might happen when you paint en plein air.

Steve Schreiner, a member of the family who owns and runs the iris gardens, talked about how the lupine had reseeded in such a way that this year they seemed more dominant than the irises. My last painting was an attempt to capture the riot of colors and textures of ornamental poppies, lupine, and iris.

I drank more water on day two and didn't develop a headache. But two days of hard painting wore me out. I think that if I want to do four paintings per day, I will consider painting smaller (maybe 12 x 16). I will look at some books I have of architecture in plein air paintings and study that more carefully. I feel like those pieces (with the barns) are not as strong as I would like.

Plein air painting is a lot of work. Besides the painting, there's a lot of work planning and packing, hauling art supplies to the site, challenges of heat, sun, bugs, people, and other distractions. And the light is changing all the time! Yes, it is a lot of work. But, the benefits are worth the effort.

I'm in it for the long haul.

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.

Flowers!

I painted three artists painting the flowers. Flowers are easier to paint because they don't move around. The artists moved and eventually moved to different locations so I stopped painting long before I was finished.

My first blog featured these lovely gardens last year, and the Red Hat Society ladies. They are like flowers among the blooms. Aren't the lupine great?!

To van Gogh or not to van Gogh

When I was at the Getty in January, I stood in front of van Gogh's iris painting and stared. I could hardly breathe. I'm sure I drooled (just a little). I was mesmerized by its beauty. It was brilliant! Van Gogh's way of capturing the sensual forms and lines and colors really got to me. I was bowled over. That's probably why I was so enthralled with Schreiner's Iris Gardens. But, I never seemed to really paint with van Gogh's abandon. But, this weekend, I tried another iris painting in my studio. I hoped to channel van Gogh. This iris portrait is big, about 30" x 28". No van Gogh. Just a Katherine. Maybe next time.

Form and grace: irises

Hoping to find a place with fewer distractions, I walked down a shaded path to the older display gardens at Schreiner's Iris Gardens. There I found an intimate setting for me to study the structures of these amazing flowers.

Many photographers found their way back to this area, and I had several stimulating conversations with them about composition, lighting, style, and perspective. So much for not being distracted.

That's another thing I love about art: it brings people together. And that is a wondrous experience! Even if it is a distraction. Maybe it was the most important part of my painting day.

Iris Garden painting day

It seemed like it would be a gray day in Salem, OR at the Schreiner's Iris Gardens. But, it was a sometimes sunny day and the flowers were in their glory. I just couldn't resist the giant Oriental poppies. Here you get an idea of my set up and how the under painting looks.

Flowers are like people, with faces and graceful gestures. The poppies have a tissue paper like texture and a slight breeze lifts the petals in a graceful dance.

Beginning a Blog

Beginnings are magical. And I feel the excitement of that magic as I begin this blog.

It may not look like much now, but I hope that with time, it will become an interesting log of my journey in the arts.

Just this week I was at the Schreiner's Iris Gardens painting plein air. It was a gray day but the flowers were lovely. Even better were the ladies who arrived in their red hats and purple jackets. You can see a couple of them taking a break near my painting.

I think that life is good when you have a red hat. I'll have to get one!