Iris In Provence - 4x6 Original Painting

This painting is an original done with acrylic paint on canvas board, it is 4x6 and comes framed in a thrifted frame. 

The inspiration came from an art retreat in the south of France on a property full of irises. While I was there I had the chance to visit and see Van Gogh's iconic iris painting up close. That painting stopped me. There is something about the way he saw flowers, not as decoration but as something urgent, that I couldn't shake. I came back and painted my own.

What makes this one mine is the background. I chose a rust orange, a color that feels personal to me, instead of reaching for something expected. That choice was intentional. The iris against that warm, earthy tone is about contrast and resonance, something alive against something grounding. It also signals something about where my work is going right now, a willingness to make deliberate choices that come from instinct rather than formula.

Van Gogh is one of the most referenced artists in history and I wasn't trying to replicate what he did. I was using him as a doorway into my own version of it.