daily painting practice - Peonies in my Garden

If I ever go back to painting on a white panel please kick me. The pre-toned panels make the first stages of laying in the darks and lights so much easier with the half tone already painted and dry.
Look at those deep rich transparent darks. I dream about those at night. There will be no need to go back later and muddy up the painting if you get the darks right in the beginning.
That one peony blossom looking at you in the center of the painting is the key to the composition. I am still learning that if there is not strong contrast and a strong center of interest, the painting will fail. Seems like an easy concept to remember but with everything that we artists think about during the painting process , it is usually one of the first things I forget.

click on picture to enlarge the image

The Artist's Garden
9"x12"
oil on masonite
SOLD

I have have done several still life paintings of peonies so I thought it would be a good idea to paint the place I go to pick them . This is the garden outside our kitchen. It is filled with gorgeous pink peonies. I have only two plants that produce white blossoms. The bush in the background is the (flowering Quince I cut the branches from for the still life I posted last week).

This painting was so much fun. It was almost as much fun as being in the garden itself. My wife actually started some seeds indoors this weekend so it is official... Spring is just around the corner!