Irises in January

a trio of iris etegami, painted on request for a friend

Irises are still a fond memory, deep in January in DC, they are hibernating for the winter. Luckily the internet and memory serves me well as models.

I tried a couple styles — one attempts a more true representation of an iris, the other style aims to get the idea of an iris. I think I like the way the idea versions came out. The words are a haiku by Basho:  杜若語るも旅のひとつ哉　(kakitsubata katarumo tabino hitotsukana), translation below. Many thanks to Dosankodebbie for helping me get the original Japanese from the translated English.

Long conversations
beside blooming irises –
joys of life on the road

I painted these, and a couple others, over a week, finishing them up with an etegami session with a visiting friend (not the requester of the irises). One of my favorites of his involves “Uncle Stalin’s Knickers.” I wish I had gotten a photo of it before he left.