Growing as an Artist Archives - Peony and Parakeet

Abstract Composition in Watercolor

Päivi — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 14:08:42 +0000

This week, we create geometric and modern art. Pick your supplies, and make an abstract composition! Lately, I’ve been exploring the extremes of my own style, especially when it comes to visual language. I’ve been searching for something angular and adventurous for inspiration, as my style has recently drifted perhaps a bit too much toward […]

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Ikigai – Making Intuitive Painting Feel Natural

Päivi — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 10:29:42 +0000

This week, I show you my newest oil painting, ‘Ikigai,’ and talk about how intuitive painting can become logical, and how a logical painting can feel natural. There are many extraordinary elements in this painting, but it still feels quite realistic and natural. Find the Guiding Element When you create intuitively, the first layers get […]

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Artistic Line Drawing – What Do You Think About This Course Idea?

Päivi — Wed, 20 May 2026 13:47:13 +0000

To me, all visual art begins with drawing. When you want to get to know yourself, draw! When you want to develop as an artist—say, as a painter—draw! To draw is to think. Make your lines come alive, and gradually, a whole new world will emerge, even on a small piece of paper. That’s what […]

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Three Brave Questions to Ask Yourself about Your Art

Päivi — Thu, 14 May 2026 10:36:25 +0000

This week, I have questions about your art, and I will also share my answers as an example. As an artist, you’re always asked: 1) where do you get your inspiration, 2) how is your art made, and 3) what does it represent or mean? But when you want to go deeper and find answers […]

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Can Playful Art Be Serious?

Päivi — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 11:20:12 +0000

This week, I want to talk about my newly finished painting titled Fauna. This is one of my most peculiar pieces, filled with strange ideas. With this, I want to challenge us to ponder the question: Can playful art be serious? Ideas Have a Mental Age This painting combines many ideas. I tend to come […]

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Semi-Abstract Floral Still Life: A Painting Inspired by Dutch Masters

Päivi — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 12:54:42 +0000

This week, I want to show you a piece called Damask. It is a dark, semi-abstract floral painting. I often try to create lighter works because they sell faster, but if it were up to me, I would paint almost only dark pieces. There is something valuable and very private about dark tones. The painting […]

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Crazy about Ornaments!

Päivi — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 15:02:07 +0000

I believe that in every artist’s journey, there are moments when you feel you’ve hit the core—or at least, you’re getting very close. For me, many of those moments have been about ornaments. I simply love drawing and painting decorative lines. This week, I share a recent watercolor painting that is full of ornaments and […]

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Inside the Creative Process: Art, Words, and Morning Robes

Päivi — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 10:51:55 +0000

I often find that the bridge between painting and words is a difficult one to cross – especially when your latest work decides to speak a language of its own. Even though I’ve always loved writing, being a visual artist often brings moments inside the creative process where words simply disappear. Lately, I’ve been painting […]

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Video: Artist’s Life and Inner Inspiration

Päivi — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 17:35:55 +0000

This week, I made a video blog post where I share what I have been working on lately. This watercolor piece is one of them. In the video, I also talk about the inner inspiration – that not everything has to come from outside, but there’s a lot within our inner world already. You get […]

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Making a Creative Impact – My Words for 2025 and 2026

Päivi — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 13:16:24 +0000

I like to choose a word for the year that guides my actions. In 2025, it was “Release”. This year, it’s “Impact”. I think that Impact is a natural continuum of the word Release. Once you have learned to release a lot, it’s time to learn more about making a creative impact. Have You Chosen […]

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About Music and Painting

Päivi — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 15:08:53 +0000

This week, I share a painting that had a big goal: to achieve a similar effect to uplifting music. I think that all painters envy musicians because music can make great emotions flow in an instant. Music can make us feel that the world is expanding into the universe and at the same time, shrinking […]

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Making Florals More Modern

Päivi — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 14:36:47 +0000

This week, we are making florals more modern! So, when you want to get away from a botanical look, and draw and paint flowers that are more abstract and expressive, here are my tips for you! In my recent painting Gossamer, I have stretched my style to a modern direction. The painting was born much […]

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