First of all, that entire title Farmers Market Peonies sounds completely cliché to me, but sometime you just have to keep it simple. And Farmers Market Peonies is exactly what this post is all about! I went to my first Chicago Farmer's Market today with some friends. It was exceeded all expectations! I planned to not buy anything (hehe, right,) but we caught the floral vendor right as he was wrapping up his booth and his perfect peonies could not be passed up. Also, the grilled cheese with ham and pear marmalade was out of this world!


I went right home after the market and started painting these beauties in my new studio!! If you missed my Instagram post yesterday, I'll fill you in: we moved! We are still in Chicago, but we just switched neighborhoods. My studio is so sunny and bright now (North light, too!) It is such a change from a tiny, dark studio I worked from all of last year. I feel so undeserving and grateful to be able to paint in there now, but I also feel so motivated and inspired. I have to paint well and work even harder in order to do this studio justice, isn't that how it should be? Anyway, This painting is the very first in the new place, and I'm so thrilled. I think it's going to be a great place to create.




I'm still unpacking boxes from the move (it's only been 4 days!) so I have yet to locate my brushes. I did find this one brush and small palette knife in my "go bag," so they were the only two tools used for this painting. It's always fun to give yourself a little challenge like limiting tools or colors; I need to do it more! I love what I was able to create with just those two. Also, the black board is just a foam board I taped a small unstretched canvas square to. I wish I could keep it together with the painting! What do you think? -Thanks for reading and following along!