Out of the Dark

8x10" oil on stretched canvas. $80. Available here

I have this mug which I have painted once before- it's so dark, and not particularly reflective, and can become a bit of a "black hole" in compositions, so I don't use it a lot. But here, I found some lighter subjects to surround it with- some dried flowers, and clementines, which actually bounced some light and colour off it! Here, everyone gathers around a fallen leaf, speculating on its fate...

Under Siege

5x7" acrylic on canvas board. $40. Available here

I've missed painting sprouts! They're great to depict, with all their tightly furled, veiny leaves. But my favourite thing about this painting is how strong and bright the light seems, shining through the plate and onto the clementines!

The Goblet

6x8" oil on canvas board. $45. Available here

Here's a still life in oils! I was in the mood to do something a bit more traditional than the colourful acrylic compositions I've been working on lately, and when I dug this old silver goblet out of a cupboard, I knew it had to be the centre of the piece. I found a slice of melon in the fridge which I was eager to paint as well- and blueberries, I love capturing the way the light reflects off them. The trickiest part was the lettuce leaf, the way it curls and folds over took a lot of squinting and re-painting to get right.

The Green Jar Returns

6x8" acrylic on canvas board. $45. Available here

I dug this green glass jar out of a drawer today- I'd been wondering where it had disappeared to. I used it quite a bit in my early daily paintings, so I thought I'd try it out again. This is my last attempt at the Chunked Challenge (simply because I don't want to swamp the page with my own entries!) something a little lighter and brighter than the previous one, the items have a bit more room to breathe here!

Chunky Jug

 5x7" acrylic on canvas board. $40. Available here

I tried to push the 'blocked in strokes' really far for this attempt at the Chunked Challenge. I realised that keeping the subject simple, and using a really strong directional light to create lots of contrast, makes it a lot easier!

Huddled Together

6x6" acrylic on canvas board. $40. Available here

The first of a series of attempts at the Chunked Challenge. I didn't quite manage to simplify the forms as much as I'd like... I realised afterwards I probably should have chosen a slightly simpler subject to start with. But I do like packing lots of things into the canvas! It's so fun to create these compositions with lots of pops of light and colour.

Blue Vase

8x10" acrylic on canvas board. $65. Available here 

I wanted to try painting a backlit still life. I'm really happy with the vibrant complementary colours here!

All Cut Up

4x4 inches, acrylic on canvas board. SOLD

When I first started painting with oils and acrylics, I was terrified of two colours in particular- orange and yellow. So easy to muddy them- only a touch of blue, and they turn grey. I'm getting better at working with them now, though. The fear is fading. Here's a little painting of lemon and clementine slices to celebrate.