Creating with Iris
The ultimate messenger
Welcome to my wee corner of Substack. I am a seasonal artist living on the Isle of Arran, off the west coast of Scotland. I am the custodian of approximately two acres of land that includes a woodland, a meadow and my wee garden. I offer a seasonal book arts project for paid subscribers if you are interested and you can read more about that HERE. Grab a cuppa and lets delve into our relationship with the shifting seasons…
At this time of year the island is blooming with irises and they all look stunning. I work with irises a lot in my creative work so I thought I would share how I use them. It might also be useful to share just why I find the iris so inspiring. The iris flower is one of the earliest cultivated flowers with records showing it was much prized back as far as the fifteenth century. As a flower it became very popular in the Victorian times when it was used to ‘send messages’. Arguably, in the language of flowers it is the ultimate messenger. It brings with it a natural sense of hope and it is named after the Goddess of the rainbow. I love to think of it as a messenger and you will probably see why as I share how I use it.
At this time of year I gather irises and blend them with cow parsley for beautiful arrangements for my home. The sculptural nature of the iris and the feedom of the cow parsley work so well together and both have good vase life. I use the carrier orris root powder (made from the iris) in my handmade potpouuri as it carries scent from essential oils so well. My personal favourite is rose geranium and both are flowering alongside my irises this year.
I admit to being slightly obsessed with pressing iris flowers. They are quite difficult to press well but that doesn’t stop me trying. They have decorated a good number of my handmade journals over the years. I also use them in my first bundle dye of the year gathering leaves and flowers from the garden to dye my own fabric. The iris releases a beautiful purple grey colour which, sadly, is fugitive but, while it lasts, I love it. It ultimately fades to a light grey but I am still fine with that.
I also use the iris flower in my digital art work as the shape works so well with an echo behind it. Many of my Etsy customers have had a wee iris thank you card in their parcels. Despite all this lovely inspiration from the flower it is the stem that I am most interested in. Once the blooms have disappeared I leave the stems to start to brown on the plant before bringing them inside before the end of the summer to finish drying. Using a sharp knife I then cut one end at a sharp angle and you have the most beautiful natural quill. I truly believe some of my best drawings have been achieved by using an iris stem quill. This is when I feel the power of the message the most. It is not a precise drawing tool and that gives you a bit more permission to be free with the marks you make on the paper. There is something special going on there…..
I am eternally grateful to the beautiful iris and feel blessed that they return to my garden year after year with no assistance from me. They are early this year meaning that the company of the cow parsley can continue for some time yet. It also means that I needed to be ready with space in my flower press. They aren’t keen on heavy rain as it causes petal damage and we have heavy rain on the island. Over the years I have learnt to respond well to the coming of the iris and it certainly fills me with a sense of hope. The iris knows how to spread her message and I am always listening.
Until next time, Fiona x
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Beautiful paintings. I made a quill with a buzzard feather and like to use that to draw with sometimes. But I’ll be looking for iris’s this year! Thank you for your inspiring art .
One of my favourite flowers. I am hoping that they will grow in our new garden as they didn't at our previous home. Thanks for the reminder about dying & inks too.