Hello Avocado

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

...I haven't tried painting you before! In fact, I'm managing quite a few painting 'firsts' lately, which is fun. I went for a much cooler colour palette here, to contrast all the reds and warm purples I've been doing lately, but I tried to keep things bright and cheerful; I'm pretty pleased with how it came out. 

Beetroot and Blood Orange

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

It's not often I get to do it, but I love using all three secondary colours in a painting! But on this occasion, I had just the subject matter; the blood orange, which I was eager to paint again, and beetroot. The leaves were an interesting challenge; I found myself treating them in an almost abstract way while blocking in the lighter and darker areas.

Red: The Sequel

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

I had so much fun with my first 'Red' painting I did another! This one might be even more vivid- the pops of green help. I was excited to paint all of these elements; the blood orange, which I'd never tried before, was great fun. The deep, mottled colour is so striking! The kiwi is a rematch - I'd tried painting one before and it came out terribly, but I think I've conquered it this time! Chilli peppers are always fun to paint, though I tend to handle them very gingerly. I am not a fan of spicy things personally! I just love the shape and colour. And cherry tomatoes, my old friends, I'll never desert you...

As with the previous works, this artwork is still a little wet at time of posting (11th April) and may need additional time to dry before being shipped.

Surrounded Glass

8x10" acrylic on canvas. $80 Available here

I did this piece for an exhibition back in spring, and promptly forgot to upload it to my DPW gallery once the show finished. Well, here you are! Featuring orange slices and glass, two of my favourite still-life subjects. I really enjoyed pushing the contrast of vibrant colours and dark background here.

Vases and Bottles

6x6" acrylic on watercolour paper. $35. Buy now with Paypal 

...and a sneaky orange slice! I went digging in my still life objects crate and found this bunch of things, they've featured in my paintings in the past, but not all at once. I really enjoy seeing them together, the different shapes and colours.

Cantaloupe

5x7" acrylic on watercolour paper. $40. Available here

I love the warm orange colour of the cantaloupe, contrasting with the cool but bright backdrop. I had a lot of fun playing with the colours here!

Watermelon Slice

5x7" oil on canvas board, $40. Available here

I found this chunk of watermelon in the fridge, just the perfect shape for painting! I love the strong colours as well.

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.

Almost Invisible

7x5" acrylic on canvas board. $40. Available here

I really enjoy painting glass- it's a lot of fun to capture the subtle reflected colours and spots of light that suggest its form.

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!

Oranges and Sprouts

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

Sprouts and orange slices on a floral patterned cloth- the same one used in my Green Jug painting a while ago. I really like the excitement it adds to the arrangement! (Speaking of, I submitted the Green Jug painting to the monthly DPW contest for December- winners are anounced on the 8th, so I have my fingers crossed for that...)

Anatomy of a Dragon(fruit)

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

An arrangement of dragonfruit and pomegranate, cut open to show their interesting insides. I really like how the black and white patterned fabric works with the spotted dragonfruit, and the strong pinks and reds.

Pomegranates

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

A little study of pomegranates, one of my favourite things to paint- I love the strong colours and the interesting texture of the insides.

Copper, Oranges and Leaves

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

I love this leaf-patterned fabric, it adds so much interest to the arrangement. This is the smaller of my two copper jugs, much shorter and slimmer. It sits nicely alongside the orange wedges.

If you look closely you'll notice I'd already started eating one of the slices. Sometimes temptation is too much when setting up a composition.

Piled High

4x4" acrylic on canvas board. $25. Available here

A little baby painting today! I bought this little tapas dish in a homewares shop a couple days ago, I love the reddish-brown colour. It looks great when piled high with colourful fruit and veg- in this case, orange wedges, grapes and mange tout.

Copper

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

I bought this little jug in a charity shop a while back. I love trying to capture all of the colours and lights reflected in the copper surface. It has a great silhouette as well! I'm surprised I haven't used it more often in paintings.

The Green Jug

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

I bought this squat green jug ages ago in a charity shop but I don't think I've ever painted it! Well. Now I have. I used another of my Hobbycraft fabric squares in the background here- a cool-coloured floral one. I think the lighter blues and purples complement the greens and oranges quite nicely.

Purple Vase With Oranges

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

I've only painted this vase once before and I thought it was time to use it again. It's a very dark purple, and its glossy surface reflects everything around it wonderfully. I also used some nice patterned fabric in this one. My parents bought me some packs of Hobbycraft Fat Quarters for my birthday so I could use them for backdrops- I used to use wrapping paper, but it tears and wrinkles so easily. The fabric is much tougher, and I have so many patterns to play with now! I may end up doing another series similar to my Clementines one from last year...

Blue Jar With Oranges and Grapes

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

I cut the orange half from yesterday's painting into chunks and made this little composition centred around my little brown and blue jug. It feels good to be doing these little still life paintings again.

Soft Colours and Long Shadows

4x5" acrylic on canvas board. $30. Available here

Here's another little still life with lemon slices, this one with a much gentler palette.