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Iris Plein Air Painting – 20 April 2021

you all will not believe what popped up in my garden today?!?! irises!!!! They are early for Northern Kentucky!They are in a funny spot, and it’s impossible to get a good photo with the distracting background. This session will be an example of how a painting filters and interprets a scene through the artist’s eye in a way the camera cannot.

after doing a little bit of pruning, and changing my perspective, i have a rough sketch (to work out my composition) now it’s time to paint!
I blocked out the basic shapes with a yellow ochre and burnt sienna…the warm yellows will make a nice contrast to the purple irises.
Color Time!!! Using my broadest brush (a #10 flat bristle) I laid out the basic shapes and colors…now time to push paint around until it looks right…
i Just cracked open one of my FAVORITE colors…a radiant turquoise…I’m trying to mix colors (not using ready mixed colors), but this one is so bright and saturated with color, right out of the tube. Warning: once i start painting with it, you’ll see this color in EVERYTHING i paint– until it gets out of hand and we have to have an intervention
I’m still using a pretty wide flat brush (#8 bristle). I had to step away because there is some BEAUTIFUL brushwork in the painting right now. I don’t want to lose it when i go down to the #4 flat and working on the details…I put the tube away, but might need a few more areas with radiant turquoise?
I’m so close to finished…just need to think about those last minute details.

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