Story behind the art of M. Joy Lemon

28th Annual International

American Society of Botanical Artists and Marin Art & Garden Center

Inner Glow

Iris germanica

Light on form is both revealing and enchanting. It is a cornerstone of my classical art training and what I strive to capture in my work, especially with my beloved botanical subjects.

One warm spring afternoon, I was struck by the sight of this pale iris, backlit by the sun’s rays. Drawn closer, I observed the interplay of light across its delicate sub-forms: the translucent upper standard silhouetting mysterious edges, the graceful falls cascading into pools of ruffled velvet, one beard hidden, the other dramatically lit. At that moment, time slowed, and I was lost in wonder, as artists often are, inspired to capture and share this fleeting vision.

For this iris, I chose charcoal and chalk on toned paper, my preferred medium for rendering quiet, luminous subjects. The wide range of values—from velvety black to vivid white— enhance the illusion of depth, as though this beauty was emerging from the shadows, an echo of the day I found it. I began with a block-in drawing to establish proportions, transferred it to toned paper, and mapped in the shadow shapes. I was intrigued again by the play of light over undulating form and the variety of cast and form shadows.

Once that underlying value structure was in place, I applied charcoal and chalk in separate passes, working across the form from shadow into the light, thinking sculpturally as if molding clay. Translating each curved surface onto paper, I watched this iris come to life slowly, mark by mark.

This transformative process, the magic of drawing, keeps me returning to the easel to chase yet again the beauty of light on form, and hopefully capture even a hint of what initially drew me in to this alluring subject.

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