Painted en plein air alongside its companion piece, Iris in Luce, this work emerged as the evening light began to fade, allowing shadow to become as significant as illumination in the soft breeze of the cooling garden. As the composition flowed naturally from light into darkness, I became increasingly aware of the dramatic chiaroscuro created by the iris leaves and flowers. Their upright blades and free-form sculptural structures provided an expressive framework for the painting, where instinctive mark-making and the immediacy of working on paper allowed each gesture to remain visible. Created as the left-hand panel of the diptych, Iris in Tenebris explores the quiet tension between structure and spontaneity, where shadow is not simply the absence of light, but an active and expressive presence.

Oil & Pastel on fabriano paper. 50 w x 70 h cm (Framed in modern white frame size TBC)