Today’s piece is more than an Iris painting – though there IS clump of irises in it! It is a journal of a garden that started a transformation in 2018.

It is a garden that used to be a big giant plot of grass (with its share of weeds). It is beautifully surrounded by majestic Cottonwoods, Blue Spruces and a lovely Weeping Willow tree. It has the most unbelievable sunsets and views of the mountains.

The owners are working on turning this land into a garden where they will spend a lot of quality time and grow veggies, fruit trees and flowers; take care of bees and make honey; take care of the chickens and get fresh eggs.

Sounds amazing. It is a ton of work. After a whole year, one day blends into the next and one can lose track of all that was accomplished. Once winter sets in, it is even harder to remember what was done as so much is dormant and covered in snow.

I painted this illustrated journal of the progress made and challenges overcome throughout the year as a reminder of yesterday’s hard work and the promise of tomorrow.

What does this have to do with the Iris project? Well… up there on the top left there is a little clump of irises. Those irises represent the irises the owners brought from their previous home. I planted them in my yard while they were getting their garden ready. Once there was a place for them, I took them over where they are now happily planted and where they will hopefully bloom next spring.

Thanks for following my blog and I hope you are enjoying it!

Lisa