The last of the peonies
Posted: June 10, 2021 Filed under: Uncategorized 16 CommentsMy friend Susanne gave me this bouquet of peonies when I painted in her garden last week. I’m fortunate to have them because the ones that remained on the plants at her house were mostly destroyed in a storm later that day. And if you have peonies in your garden, you know what that means because sometimes the delicate petals on peonies don’t recover after heavy rain.
They’ve been in a vase on my counter all week and today is probably the last day of the blooms. When they start to go, all the papery petals drop at once, which is what started to happen to one flower just before I got them outside. Painted quickly before all the petals blew away in the wind, on a quarter sheet of Saunders Waterford 140lb CP paper.
Shari Blaukopf's Sketchbook 
Love peonies, and love this painting!
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Thanks Denise! I love peonies too!
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Beautiful painting. It always seems to rain after the peonies bloom. I bring mine in now.
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Thanks Laura. I’m glad you enjoyed the beauty of the peonies a little longer too. They lasted longer than expected once I brought them in.
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I read all your posts, enjoy them so much. I really admire your commitment and your talent as a watercolour painter. Keep showing me your lovely flower gardens and all the beautiful places you visit. One day I might actually get a chance to pick up my brushes again but first I must finish planting my own garden, it’s awful late, but has been chilly here in Saskatchewan.
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Lori, it’s so nice of you to write! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the posts. It’s been a good year to sketch the garden, and obviously a bit warmer here than in Saskatchewan. I hope you get out to paint soon too.
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Heavy rain today took out my peonies. Glad you were able to capture these before they wilted. I like the subtle hint of a floral tablecloth too.
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Oh no! You too! I hope you saved a few to enjoy indoors.
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Lovely! I have one fully open. The rest will open soon. Such beautiful flowers. I am enjoying the beautiful birds at our feeders. We have Stellar Jays, numerous varieties of songbirds, but my favorite are the Downy and Pileated Woodpeckers. I was able to get photos of one Downy Woodpecker today who remained on the feeder when I went out on the deck. I also was two feet or less away from a small songbird and the mother landed and fed her baby in front of me. That was an awesome sight.
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Wow, Cindy, that is amazing. You’re lucky to have witnessed that. We don’t have any feeders but we have four birdbaths and I spend a lot of time watching the bathing action each day. We also don’t have Stellar Jays on the east coast. At least I’ve never seen one here. Beautiful bird!
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My poor peonies took a beating last night but, thankfully, I had managed to take a few of them inside and put them in a vase just yesterday morning. Lovely painting, Shari. I love the softness of the colours and the white highlights.
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You were lucky to save a few as well. Glad for that! I love peonies because they are so showy and yet so delicate at the same time. I just wish they stayed around a little longer. Thanks for having a look!
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This is so beautiful! Love the whites!
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Thanks Susan. So nice to hear from you.
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Nice painting of Peonies!!
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Thanks so much Shawn!
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