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.

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!

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.

The Yellow Card Scenario

6x6" acrylic on canvas board. $20. Available here

Sometimes I really struggle to title these little still life paintings, and I end up coming up with weird stories in my hunt for the perfect phrase. Here, the tomato referee is issuing the blue vase with a yellow card for tripping a sugar snap in the penalty area.

...Well, it's that or 'Vase and sugar snaps and tomato, like, for the fifth time this month.'

 

 

Brown Vase in Evening Light

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

Here's another still life composition with a different small vase bought on the Isle of Wight. I was struck by how it looked when the warm sunlight hit it- it became almost purple. So I pushed that colour, and set it against complementary yellows and creams. I am liking how my brushwork is becoming more confident, I put it down to the larger works I've been doing- they loosen you up a lot.

Reflections in a Purple Vase

6x6 inches, oil on canvas board. $20 - £13.49 - €18.33 – C$ 27.76

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I'm still waiting for my latest batch of landscapes to dry, so here's a still life instead. I recently bought this purple vase in a charity shop. I liked the way it reflected everything around it, but distorted the perspective, so I decided to surround it with bright colours and paint the arrangement to challenge myself. Part way through, with about ten different elements to work on, it didn't seem such a good idea- but I finished it, and amazingly enough it worked out in the end!

Clementines: Blue Vase

4x4 inches, acrylic on canvas board. SOLD

Another installment in my ongoing clementine series. In this one I've used a small blue vase I found at a charity store while looking for interesting painting subjects. I like the way the wedges reflect in it.