Orange & Amethyst Irises in the glass vases

Oil on linen canvas.

24x30"

Irises stand tall in three little glass vessels, set against a wall of vivid turquoise. Their blooms are ruffled and delicate, caught in the fullness of their brief season — great amethyst-purple flowers, deep and velvet, beside irises of apricot and gold with falls of rich wine-red. Slender sprigs of lavender rise between them, and a few small blue flowers gather at their feet. The clear glass holds the green stems and the still water, cool and simple, letting the color of the flowers sing. One iris has fallen to the table and lies there, its petals still glowing. Purple against orange, flower against turquoise — it is a painting built on bold, joyful color, a quiet celebration of the iris in all its fleeting, ruffled beauty.