Halved Orange

Halved Orange
Oil on gessoed board
145x150mm or approx 6x6"

In an effort to attract more interest I thought I would try something new with this one - the so called "Dutch Auction". It starts at what I feel is a fair price and drops in price every day until someone buys it. So it's a gamble between getting it at a bargain price and losing out to someone quicker. I'll start it at $300 and tomorrow it will be $280. The first person to email me gets it. Have fun!

This has now sold for $150.

Rotting Grapes

Rotting Grapes
Oil on gessoed board
100x123mm or approx 4x5"

$100

Apparently rotting grapes make the sweetest wine.

Mouldy Lemon On Old Bottle

Mouldy Lemon On Old Bottle
Oil on gessoed board
180x173mm or approx 7x7"

$200

Mouldy lemon anyone? Well, I couldn't sell a fresh one anyway so I may as well paint what I see. It occurred to me that the pattern of mould on the lemon resembled continents on a globe. Maybe that's how I see the world - as a mouldy old lemon.

Guitar on Chair

Guitar on Chair
Oil on gessoed board
132 x 71mm or 5 1/4 x 2 3/4"

$80

This was a very quick sketch. Apart from painting, music and guitars are another passion of mine. I play and build guitars in my spare time. I made this guitar and now I've painted it. I didn't make the chair though, so it's not entirely a "Little Red Hen" act...

Plastic Knife and Fork in Paper Napkin on Wooden Block

Plastic Knife and Fork in Paper Napkin on Wooden Block
Oil on gessoed board
200 x 235mm or 8 x 9 1/4"
$200

This plastic knife and fork wrapped tightly in a paper napkin came from some fast food meal I guess. I tend to keep things that fascinate me for future painting and I've got a huge collection of these odd bits and pieces of the detritous of 21st century life. So for me it's never a problem "not having anything to paint". I've never understood this complaint I hear from so many artists. For me the problem is deciding what not to paint. Having said that I have no idea why I suddenly decided to paint this particular subject on this particular day. Although it fascinated me I kept putting it off because I knew it would be difficult to paint in a convincing way. White on white is always a challenge. I don't think I really succeeded as well as I had hoped, but it has got some of the cacoon, swaddling, or shroud like quality about it, that intrigued me.

Red Plastic Spade

Red Plastic Spade
Oil on gessoed board
222x210mm or 8 1/2 x 8 1/4"

$200

Black Wingnut

Black Wingnut
Oil on gessoed board
55x75mm or 2 1/4x3"

$80

Lemon Yellow Paint Tube Cap

Lemon Yellow Paint Tube Cap
Oil on gessoed board
56 x 75mm or 2 3/8 x 3"

$80

This was a fun subject to paint. The idea of depicting oil paint with oil paint appeals. Kind of like those plays within a play.

Bowl of Mixed Fruit

Bowl of Mixed Fruit

Oil on gessoed board

205 x 230mm or 8 x 9"

$400

I was initially attracted by the different kinds of fruit all in the one bowl, kind of like a "ship of fools" sort of thing. Or something. I liked the symetrical balance of the two red tomatos echoing the decorative handles on the bowl.

Little Black Brush

Little Black Brush
Oil on gessoed board
60x78mm or 2.36220472 x 3.07086614 inches

$80

sold

This is either a small brush used for cleaning those old fashioned record player stylus, or for cleaning those old fashioned typewriters. I like obsolete things.

Nozzle

Nozzle
Oil on gessoed board
62x90mm or 2 & 12/32 x 3 & 18/32nds inches

$80

I enjoy the challenge of trying to make a painting out of the most unlikely subjects. I spotted this bit of detritous washed up on the beach and it cryed out to me amongst all the natural bits of driftwood, stones and shells.

This is just a small miniature painting. I've had a few requests to put my dimensions in imperial inches, so I'm trying that. Millimetres seems so much easier though!

A Couple of Pears

A Couple of Pears
Oil on gessoed board
$200

sold

I was attracted by the colour of these pears. I always find these magenta colours difficult to work with. The problem with bright colour is that it has a tendancy to flatten the forms and as an artist you find yourself in the predicament of either having to sacrifice some of the intensity of the colour or to try and exaggerate the form somehow. I guess this is one reason why I tend towards thick impasto paint. There are two kinds of light in a painting . The pschycological illusion of light that painters (often very skillfully), trick the viewer with, but also the real phisical light that falls on the painted surface and is reflected back to the viewer. That's why for me exhibiting paintings like this on a screen made up of little pixels will always be inadaquate. The phisical presence of a painting is always of the utmost importance and joy for me. I have always admired painters who's painting goes beyond the mere clever illustrative rendering of things. One of my favourites is Lucian Freud - surely the greatest living figurative painter - who said he didn't just want his paint to resemble flesh, he wanted it to "be flesh". Well, I know my humble pears pale by comparison, but I'm always trying to give something of the actual presence of things and not just their outward appearance.

Corner Still life

Corner Still lifeOil on gessoed board
330x330mm

$2500

This one is bigger than the usual paintings I post here. It's got many of the conventional still life elements, including grapes. I kind of zoomed out in my view of it to include the bits of background cardboard props.

Mountain, Cloud and Shadow

Mountain, Cloud and Shadow
Oil on gessoed board
135x115mm

$80

sold

This is a very quick sketch done from memory.