A Story in Paint: Pale Peony Blossom

"Pale Peony Blossom," Strathmore watercolor paper (cold pressed)

Since the pre-Christmas book launch craziness at Fabled Garden Press (The Cupcake Tree and B is for Bigfoot) things have been quietly progressing behind the scenes. I've been crossing the valley on Saturday mornings to take a watercolor course from Elisha Finlayson at the community college nursing campus. One morning a student was dying to know what I was doing there with my big canvas portfolio, palette, et al, I was so obviously on the wrong campus. The school carved out a room for us where we put tarps out on the tables, to protect them from the water and paint, and learn how to paint with watercolor.

A couple of weeks ago a guest lecturer, Tom Howard, came to demo edges and teach the class. He taught me a very simple lesson that was a game changer in a very short conversation.

• Slow down, it doesn't matter how long it takes to finish a painting
• Use less paint and let the white of the paper show through

I had already painted the peony above once (looks nothing like this, I had overworked it). I decided a do-over was in order. I spent the rest of the class sketching the blossom again then attempted to put the lesson into practice. The resulting painting is above.

I'm grateful he came to lecture, because that little bit of advice made a really big difference in the story I was able to share using paint. (The story behind the picture is more of a memory; this flower was part of a fluffy bouquet of peonies that I splurged on while exploring the downtown farmers market with my sister. I took a picture because it was so striking and I knew it's bloom was fleeting.)

“I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers.” - Claude Monet

I can see why.

Suzanne