Working loose at painting Peonies

Bowl of Beauties floral still life

Peony oil painting

20x20cm deep box canvas (1.5inch)

Edges painted purple

Painted with a palette knife.

Available on Daily Paintworks

I was the this month's host of the Plant Parade on Wetcanvas.com - a monthly flower painting challenge in the Florals and Botanical forum. I chose peonies as the subject with a challenge of painting them loosely.

Soft Edges
Obtaining soft edges with a palette knife is difficult, so I first painted the peonies followed by the background. Where I wanted soft edges, I swiped palette knife across the edge to soften it and mix the paint. Where necessary I added extra paint on the knife before swiping going from the petal into the background and sometimes vice versa.
Close-ups
Here are some close-ups showing this