Thursday, April 23, 2009

Arboretum Iris


Arboretum Iris
Originally uploaded by linfrye
Daily Practice

Boy were we blown around by the wind yesterday!

We were sitting in the mobile unit getting through meetings and paperwork, when my assistant heard a couple of 'cracks.' We looked outside and saw several of the surrounding pines cracked in two and blown down. We relocated in a hurry! LOL

Several of the tall irises blooming on the Arboretum grounds were also blown down -- this was one of them. I brought it to the B&B last night to sketch. I love the ochre petals against the white/pale lavender ... And they're not quite as tall as the dark purple iris I painted last week -- these are only about two feet tall....

I must admit that having the flowers close enough to my eyes to SEE them clearly and to be able to capture a bit more detail than I could when in the car yesterday was a more enjoyable sketching exercise for me .... I LOVE the loose, painterliness of so many of my flickr art friends, and wish I could get a bit more of that into my own painting. Yet, I seem to still be enamored with lines, so I'm just going to have to realize that 'Lin's Lines' may be what I really enjoy doing .... though I also love other styles of painting.

The wind is down today and the temperatures are rising. Tree leaves are really expanding and already the wonderful architecture of tree limbs is becoming obscured by green.

Pollen is flying as well. So many folks are coughing and sneezing ... but the high temps and brilliantly blue skies still draw us from indoors for a few more weeks of 'spring fever.'

4 comments:

Teresa said...

I like your lines, Lin! Sometimes I think art styles are like hair styles... we always think the other person's style is what we want... but in the end our own unique style prevails. And your style is beautiful!

Watch out for those pines... we had ours cut down last year for that reason... way too close to the house!

Joan said...

Beautiful job on the iris!!! I love your lines. If everyone painted the same way, that would be so boring!!! Your unique sytle fits you. Glad you escaped the falling trees. Keep safe!

Teri said...

You did a wonderful job on this!! And you are living way too dangerously! lol

Sandy said...

I love the pale paper-y purple effect you achieved, so realistic!! can't wait for mine to bloom