Saturday, May 14, 2011

Wild Yellow Irises

Wild Yellow Irises
12"x16", 2011
An original oil painting on hand-gessoed hardboard;
sold professionally framed; ready to hang.
Wild yellow irises are a familiar sight here in Florida and can found blooming in various habitats, but especially along the banks of streambeds and rivers; in nearby ponds and even in marshes.  Like cattails, yellow iris colonizes into large numbers, forming very dense monotypic stands, out-competing other plants.

Tall and majestic the golden wild irises are spread by the wind catching the seeds, blowing them into the water until they reach their new home.  Also known as yellow flag iris, they first made their way here from the British Isles and Europe; carried around the world by gardeners and horticulturists in the early 1900's.
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This region of coastal Florida has attracted artists forever... and is home to many artist groups and communities. The area is a wildlife artist’s dream: to paint in secluded exotic and pristine ecosystems teeming with tropical flora and fauna... and is my new challenge for a series of larger studio paintings… as we are just upriver from where the famous Florida Highwaymen lived and painted in a style sometimes referred to as the Indian River School.