In The Garden    11x14    oil on panel

Yesterday the PAAC paintout was at an iris garden called Iris4U. There were a lot of nice views and a lot of nice flowers to see but it was a little overwhelming artistically. They smelled great when the wind blew too. I was really drawn to this dark hedge and post with vines on it more than the flowers. This particular bed didn't have a lot of flowers in it, but I liked the design so much that's what I went with. This is one of only two plein air paintings I have touched up at home. The flowers needed to be more saturated in color and a few of the darks need to be darker.

I don't like to rework outdoor paintings at home because I lose all connection to the place and my feelings there when I get home. I feel it makes the painting look stiff and lifeless so I try never to do it. This was a pretty easy fix since I already had the information down, it just need to be boosted a little bit. I'm glad I did it because it felt too unfinished when I left the garden and I'm really happy with the final result.