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Water Lilies by Monet

Date

October 29, 2025

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

16 × 20 in

Study

Master painting after Claude Monet

My first-ever oil painting—and, before this, I had no painting or drawing experience whatsoever. My instructor was a middle-aged Taiwanese man who spoke Mandarin with a very heavy Taiwanese accent, so I understood approximately nothing. The upside: complete freedom to experiment with the canvas, the paint, and myself. I didn’t trust that I could do this, which made it especially fun to debunk that internalized belief. A pretty good start to painting, I think.

A gift to my paternal grandparents.