I wanted to explore the theme of high-key backgrounds with darker subjects in the foreground, as well as experimenting with how to model with very subtle value and color temperature shifts in the iris petals. The translucency of these silky and paper-thin petals fascinates me. They were my favorite subjects in my watercolor days. Now I’m trying them in oil and what in watercolor seems to be painting it self — the smooth gradations on the petals — actually takes a fair bit of finessing to get, especially with bristles brushes. Modeling a darker object also means I have to hold the light and shadow values closer to each other but still convey a sense of luminosity, which itself presented an interesting challenge. The color scheme of the painting — purple against muted yellow (ochre) is my favorite. I like the regal feeling of it, and the title of the piece came from that — in traditional Chinese culture, purple is the color of Emperors and Palaces. The robe of Emperors during coronation are usually deep purple with golden dragon patterns. 😊