daily painting practice - still life peonies in a vase

It's the middle of the winter and I miss painting fresh flowers. There is no way to get peonies this time of year so I am trying an experiment. Painting from a photo I took last summer.



First I skecthed in charcoal than painted right over top of it. That's what made the gray.
Preparing the wood panel ahead of time made things so much easier when it came time to start painting. The pre-toned background helped to hold the tonal quality of the overall painting together right from the start.
I am going at this very loose and free from thinking about matching the photo. My mind is on remembering the peonies and how beautiful they looked in our garden last summer. The painting is more feeling at this point than critical thinking.

click on the picture to enlarge the image

Peonies in a Glass Vase
8"x10"
oil on wood

SOLD

I love the result! I could have gone crazy with the lace like I did before on(Orange Pekoe). But this was a daily practice painting so I just suggested the detail this time.

I am not a purist when it comes to painting from life or photos. I feel its the finished product that matters. But I must say that painting from life everyday certainly gives me the confidence to put more feeling into a piece.