“Noruz”: Pansies and the First Flowers of Spring in the Garden of Paradise

March 2004
Shiraz, Iran

In Iran the New Year begins with the first day of Spring. The people celebrate by going to the mountains, gardens and sea to commune with Nature. It lasts a month. I painted in the Garden of Paradise in Shiraz, Iran, the first flowers of the New Year: Pansies, petunias, snapdragons, stock, and the poppy.