Peonies

6″ x 6″ Acrylic

This is the painting for the first day of the Acrylic University 5 Day Mini Paint Challenge. I was late logging into the class on my computer to discover that my panel should have been painted with black gesso. I scrambled to paint the panel black and blotted it with paper towels. The subject was flowers. I had no idea what kind of flowers, but I followed along with Jed painting pink flowers and blending shades of green. Then, I lost the connection to the video feed on the computer. Eventually, I was able to resume the class through my phone. It was difficult and small to see the photo and Jed’s painting, so I made it my own using lots of magenta paint. I decided that the flowers look like peonies that are just getting ready to bloom in our garden.

I learned the following techniques:

1. Mix a little gloss with the paint to make it last longer – even applying it directly to the canvas.

2. Use a hair drier to help dry the paint a little when needed.

3. Be ready to improvise.