Iris Symphony, a peek into my process.

 

Iris Symphony, work in progress currently on my easel.

This time of year, I can't paint fast enough. So many gorgeous subjects are in bloom and crying out, "Paint me!" Last week the Siberian Irises in my garden were at their peek, so I started this painting. As fellow flower lovers know, iris blooms only last one day. This is where my tablet comes in handy. In the photo above, you can see it set up alongside my painting. One big advantage of digital images over printed photos is that I can zoom in on the details of each blossom. I'm finishing the painting from digital images, with many more hours left to go.

Detailed drawing on canvas. 

I usually start a large painting like this (it's 24x36 inches) with a detailed drawing. The start of the painting is my time to capture the gesture and movement of the plants on my canvas, and to lay out the composition.

 The inspiration for this painting came from sheet music. I'm thinking of the irises as notes going up and down, signifying more that just a two-dimensional image. Working in pencil, I can erase and change the composition much easier than I can in oil paint. When I'm satisfied with the drawing, I spray the canvas with fixative. 

The next step is the metal leaf base coat. I've experimented with different colors of straight paint for this coat, but I've found that sticking to the gilding base coat works the best. It has a nice red earth color to it. You can see it peeking out in the silhouette of the plants in this photo:

Gilding with 12kt white gold leaf.

After the base coat, I apply the gilding glue around my subject. Wherever I apply the glue, the metal leaf will stick. This is a slow and tedious process. I usually turn on my audio book at this stage to keep my brain engaged. Here's an short and sweet video of the process:

Well, back to my studio to finish Iris Symphony! Save the date to see this finished painting in my show at the West End Gallery. The opening reception is Friday, September 9th, 5:00-7:30pm. The exhibit is on view September 3 - October 14, 2016.