This is my last painting of the year 2013
“The last blue irises”
I been in my studio for 23 years, I know many of the houses in the neighborhood well from my daily walk. Many of those houses each has a small land reserved for gardening and wherever I walk by I would connect the garden with the house and even its owners.
I am particular fond of one house near my studio: Each spring, a large patch of irises would spring up from a small garden by the side of the house. They were the old fashion irises, mostly blues but another one type was the mauve and white with yellow markings. On a sunny day I would make sure to walk by that corner to visit the little irises garden. I knew certain time of the day, when the sunlight behind, it was the most magical moment. Eventually the irises found its way into my paintings more than once
However I never met its owner. Until a few years ago, I wrote a note to the unknown house owner along with photo of the iris painting, express the pleasure the iris garden gave me.
Few days later, an older woman came to my studio. She was the owner of that house and it was her husband planted those beautiful irises. She told me the irises were the pride and joys of her husband. Sadly, he has been in a nursing house, suffering from Alzheimer. She was touched and I painted her husband’s irises garden.
A couple of summer later, I ran into her outside of her house, she told me she would selling the house as it was too big for her to live there alone. Shortly, the sale sign was up and within weeks it was sold. I never see the lady again, pretty soon the new owner moved in. the old house underwent a long renovations, the entire door and windows been replaced including the little irises garden.
Last spring was the first spring without the beautiful irises. They were replaced with some trendy tall grass!
My “ the last blue irises” is dedicated to the man I never meet whom planted the irises garden which live in my heart and in my painting.
alfredngdesign 