"Peony Contemplation", 14" x 11", Oil on Panel
Why do artists paint what they paint?
For me, I've been contemplating the beautiful, simple things that are usually right in front of me, and I feel grateful for the hours of quiet concentration they give me. Do you love peonies as much as I do? The way they catch the light, the subtle color shifts, and transparent petals keep me transfixed for hours.
For this painting, I took a lovely old panel that I had gessoed thickly with a palette knife many months ago. I had started painting on it back then, but that painting never really got off the ground. A week ago, I took sand paper to it, and to my surprise, some lovely shapes and colors emerged from underneath! I very slowly built up the peony shapes on top of all this lovely found texture, and was careful not to completely cover up what was already happening.
These peonies were my escape for several days. I feel uplifted after my time with them.
We're all looking for ways to run away without leaving home these days! For my son, it's sitting for hours, composing the perfect software code. For my friend, it's baking loaf after loaf of bread, in search of the perfect flour. What's your escape without leaving home?
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