Peonies by Jack Beder is an 11 x 14 in oil painting signed on bottom right corner.

Nestled into a glass vase, four Peonies share the admiration of the observer while in full bloom. The pink peonies are budding off to the side, allowing for an extra close view of the middle heart of the flower that blooms with sheer volume before wilting away. Victorian floral symbolism associates peonies with bashfulness and romance, making them popular in garden design. In the background is what looks to be a brown paper sketch of black jagged lines and a slanted windowsill providing light to the center room. Beder was highly dedicated to his love of flowers throughout his painting career to the very end, creating many still lives with simple backgrounds like this one when the winter months of the yeartook over Canada. The harsh winter conditions made it difficult for his chronic health conditions to sustain his typical painting practices of sketching and plein air techniques, leaving him to resort to making studio space in the home to create.

This piece was displayed in our Rookleys exhibition, Jack Beder: Life and Art in Canada.