The theme of this painting is inspired by my grandmother's iris garden. She grows a rainbow of beautiful bearded irises, all neatly labeled and well cared for. I have been compelled to draw and paint her irises since childhood. My goal with this painting was to experiment with flat wash and "tone-on-tone" color, while using line to communicate the volume and delicacy of the blooms. This piece is done with oil paint and charcoal pencil on birch plywood.