Thursday 31 December 2015

Stock Trailer at Rosebery Hill, Pipers Creek

Oil painting of a blue trailer with stock crate beside a farm shed and a telephone pole.
A stock trailer is used to promote a film comprising stock footage.

Oil on canvas board, 10" x 8"

Wednesday 30 December 2015

Beneath the Taradale Viaduct

Oil painting of a telephone pole in front of a bluestone and an iron viaduct pillar.
It was a hot summer's day and I could have done with some air conditioning via duct, but instead I had to settle for shade and a breeze via wind.

Oil on canvas board, 8" x 10"

Tuesday 29 December 2015

House in Fordes Lane near Kyneton

Oil painting of a distant house surrounded by trees, with a mountain range in the background and dry grass in the foreground.
The end of Fordes Lane afforded a pleasant aspect.

Oil on canvas board, 10" x 8"

Monday 28 December 2015

Shop on Corner of Piper and Powlett Streets, Kyneton

Oil painting of a red brick Victorian-era corner shop.
My grandparents ran this shop as a milk bar until the late 1970s, so what better place for me to set up shop with my easel.

Oil on canvas board, 8" x 10"

Sunday 27 December 2015

Barn at Stirling Estate, Pipers Creek

Oil painting of a bluestone barn with corrugated iron roof beside several eucalytpts and surrounded by dry grass.
Painting this scene was a barn-raising experience.

Oil on canvas board, 10" x 8"

Saturday 26 December 2015

Telephone Poles on Gooch's Lane, Pastoria

Oil painting of a dirt road bordered by eucalypts and telephone poles.
With such a good view of telephone poles, I was clearly in pole position.

Oil on canvas board, 8" x 10"

Tuesday 22 December 2015

Bridge at Ross, Tasmania

Oil painting of two pillars of an early nineteenth-century sandstone bridge.
This was the only painting I managed during a week-long holiday in Tasmania, and it was quite a lot of bridge to try to fit into a limited canvas (I was travelling light with only my small pochade box).  It was, perhaps, a bridge too far.

Oil on canvas board, 7" x 5"

Monday 14 December 2015

Apple

Oil painting of a Pink Lady apple.
One smart apple, minus the smart bit.

Oil on canvas board, 4" x 6"

Sunday 13 December 2015

Whisky in Glencairn Whisky Glass

Oil painting of whisky in a Glencairn whisky glass with a dark background.
I'd planned to have an alcohol-free night and could have easily resisted the urge to drink; however, it was the temptation to paint a wee dram that I succumbed to, and well, once the genie was out of the bottle...

Oil on canvas board, 4" x 6"

Saturday 12 December 2015

Albert Park Yacht Club

Oil painting of a small yacht on a lake with distant trees and buildings.
Despite the beautifully sunny day, the wind (and wind-chill-factor) made painting especially difficult, which somewhat knocked the wind out of my sails.

Oil on canvas board, 8" x 10"

Friday 11 December 2015

Hydrangea Flower in Copper Vase

Oil painting of a pink hydrangea flower and part of an Art Deco-style copper vase.
I carefully positioned this flower in a vase, and as such became a hydrangea arranger.

Oil on canvas board, 4" x 6"

Wednesday 9 December 2015

House Backs from Morrah Street, Parkville

Oil painting of garage doors and the backs of several Victorian-era double-storey houses.
This isn't my favourite painting of late, so much so that I think it's a bit of a beast: a beast of at least three backs.

Oil on canvas board, 8" x 10"

Monday 7 December 2015

Manna Gum, Rosebery Hill, Pipers Creek

Oil painting of a gum tree on a hillside with dry grass and dusty distant paddocks.
This isn't perhaps my most convincing attempt at a Manna Gum--perhaps I ought to be taught some mannas.

Oil on canvas board, 8" x 10"

Saturday 5 December 2015

Gardener's Cottage at Flagstaff Hill, Melbourne

Oil painting of a house with chimneys and gabled roof, with flowers and grass in the foreground.
According to Wikipedia, the first flagstaff on Flagstaff Hill was erected in 1840 and was used to signal ships in the Port of Melbourne.  The article goes on to say that by the 1860s, signalling by flags was superseded by telegraph; I suppose flagging demand for the service eventually led to staff cuts.

Oil on canvas board, 10" x 8"

Friday 4 December 2015

Onion with Glass Vase

Oil painting of a tulip-shaped glass vase beside a brown onion.
This glass vase is to the right of an unpeeled onion, but it does not necessarily have a right of appeal.

Oil on canvas board, 4" x 6"

Wednesday 2 December 2015

Rear of House on Corner of Royal Parade and Degraves Street, Parkville

Oil painting of the rear of a Victorian-era double-storey house.
Whilst painting this building it was necessary to make several adjustments to the roof line--so many in fact that I've dubbed it house of correction

Oil on canvas board, 8" x 10"

Tuesday 1 December 2015

Cloud Study: Approaching Storm

Oil painting of dark clouds encroaching on a blue sky with white Cumulus clods.
I wouldn't go so far as to say that the sky's the limit, but this painting is certainly limited to the sky.

Oil on canvas board, 8" x 6"

Monday 30 November 2015

Jageurs Lane near Gatehouse Street, Parkville

Oil painting of a laneway bordered by brick buildings, iron fences and overhanding trees.
This painting singularly fails to portray the extreme conditions under which it was created: the afternoon sun beat down as gale force winds tore at my pochade box (not to mention the fool lashed to it, doggedly trying to steer the brush) and all sensible folk sought refuge inside.  Relief from the sun was only occasioned by the arrival of storm clouds which destroyed all traces of reflected light and proceeded to dump their watery contents on the surrounding streets.  Alas, enthusiasm waned once the rain's domain extended to the lane.

Oil on canvas board, 10" x 8"

Saturday 28 November 2015

Elm Avenue, Fitzroy Gardens, East Melbourne

Oil painting of a figure on a path between tall trees illuminated by shafts of sunlight.
A sunny Saturday afternoon in the Fitzroy Gardens afforded many an appealing vista for painting; this scene is just one particular avenue I might have explored.

Oil on canvas board, 8" x 10"

Wednesday 25 November 2015

Pear with Willow Pattern Bowl

Oil painting of a green pear in front of a blue and white porcelain bowl.
Lawn bowls may be played in singles, triples, fours or pairs.

Oil on canvas board, 6" x 4"

Tuesday 24 November 2015

Yellow Box, Royal Park

Oil painting of several eucalypts beside an asphalt path.
From where I was standing, I had an unimpeded view of this tree; had I been sitting, you might have said I had the box seat.

Oil on canvas board, 8" x 10"

Monday 23 November 2015

Corner of Morrah and Wimble Streets, Parkville

Oil painting of a Victorian-era building on a street corner with various street signs, front fences and trees.
After embarking on this subject, I realised it was slightly more difficult than I'd imagined.  In the end, however, I didn't so much paint myself into a corner as paint a corner myself.

Oil on canvas board, 10" x 8"

Saturday 21 November 2015

Concrete Plant, Footscray

Oil painting of a concrete plant with an office building and some loosely sketched concrete trucks.
Whilst a concrete plant might sound like a contradiction in terms, this striking building certainly planted a concrete image in my mind.

Oil on canvas board, 10" x 8"

Friday 20 November 2015

Lighted Candle

Oil painting of a lighted candle in a ceramic candlestick.
This candle is known as Wayne, for when his flame is in the wind, he waxes and wanes.

Oil on canvas board, 4" x 6"

Tuesday 17 November 2015

Nectarine in Wine Glass

Oil painting of a yellow nectarine in a large wine glass.
A dry wine with robust stone fruit characteristics.

Oil on canvas board, 4" x 6"

Monday 16 November 2015

Laneway off Fitzgibbon Street, Parkville

Oil painting of a car in a laneway with green bins towards the foreground and Victorian-era houses on either side with overhanging trees.
Usually I steer away from including cars in my paintings due to their propensity to move before the work is finished; however, in this case I was driven to include it.

Oil on canvas board, 8" x 10"

Sunday 15 November 2015

House on Gatehouse Street, Parkville

Oil painting of a double-storey Victorian-era terrace house with trees and shrubs and a street light in the foreground.
'Tis not the gatehouse from Gatehouse Street, for you would know it by its gate.

Oil on canvas board, 8" x 10"

Saturday 14 November 2015

Maribyrnong from Steele Creek Reserve Essendon

Oil painting of a series of small trees and buildings, with suburban houses and a communications tower in the background.
After some Google Maps research, I've discovered that the building in the foreground belongs to the Department of Defence, and the tower in the background is a mobile phone base station.  In these days of high security, authorities often take a dim view of the photographing of such structures; however, I hope they're somewhat less defensive about simple artistic interpretations (standing on a hillside with an easel for two hours is hardly a clandestine activity).

Oil on canvas board, 8" x 10"

Friday 13 November 2015

Vibration Study

Oil painting of several trees viewed beyond the horizon line in front of a pink-grey sky.

Recently I've read a series of lectures given in the first decade of the twentieth century by L. Birge Harrison (whose wonderful tonal work I discovered through the Google Art Project), and in one particular section he mentioned the use of broken complimentary colours of equal value (tone) in order to render atmospheric vibrations.  This was a quick Friday morning experiment in said methods using an imaginary landscape (which is a thinly disguised version of the Royal Park native grassland circle) and is accompanied by an imaginary pun.

Oil on canvas board, 5" x 7"

Thursday 12 November 2015

Still Life with Lemons and Brass Teapot

Oil painting of several lemons, a brass teapot, two bottles and a small earthenware jar.
Still life is hard, but even if you're brassed off, there's no reason to be sour.

Oil on canvas board, 20" x 16"

Wednesday 11 November 2015

Tuesday 10 November 2015

Monday 9 November 2015

Plaster Cast: Female Torso

Oil painting of a female torso plaster cast beside a window.
Perhaps I used a few too many warm colours in trying to portray plaster in sunlight, but there's not much I can do about it now because the dye is cast.

Oil on canvas board, 4" x 6"

Sunday 8 November 2015

Jageurs Lane, Parkville

Oil painting of a narrow laneway bordered by a Victorian-era house and several electricity poles.
As I was painting this scene (the laneway behind my flat), a little girl--who was passing by with her family--stopped to tell me how much she liked my painting.  I suppose this means I've got street cred.  Well, lane cred at least.

Oil on canvas board, 8" x 10"

Friday 6 November 2015

Jar of Chillies with Blue Castor Oil Bottle

Oil painting of a jar of chillies beside a blue castor oil bottle.
A polite euphemism that springs to mind is Montezuma's revenge.

Oil on canvas board, 4" x 6"


Tuesday 3 November 2015

View of Pipers Creek from Rosebery Hill

Oil painting of farm buildings and paddocks with tree-lined roadways and distant rolling hills.
A lovely afternoon painting paddocks in the sunshine.  You could say I had a field day.

Oil on canvas board, 10" x 8"

Monday 2 November 2015

Old Stable with Tasmanian Blue Gum and Atlantic Cedar at Rosebery Hill, Pipers Creek

This was actually my second choice of scene for the day: the earlier spot was abandoned after I disturbed a particularly large fanged-reptile in the nearby grass.  It's a shame really, as the previous location offered a wonderful sense of scale.

Oil on canvas board, 10" x 8"

Sunday 1 November 2015

Self Portrait

Oil painting of a middle-aged bald man.
An obsession with self is one of many poor traits.

Oil on canvas board, 6" x 8"

Saturday 31 October 2015

Old Stable at Rosebery Hill, Pipers Creek

Oil painting of a steep-pitched red-rooved shed surrounded by trees and shrubs.
My parents' vegetable garden is depicted in front of this former stable.  It provides part of their stable diet.

Oil on canvas board, 10" x 8"

Friday 30 October 2015

Copper Kettle

Oil painting of an antique copper kettle with a green background.
In fine fettle I settled down to test my mettle painting a metal kettle.

Oil on canvas board, 4" x 6"

Wednesday 28 October 2015

Tuesday 27 October 2015

Nectarine with Vase

Oil painting of a Chinese-style blue and white vase with gold-coloured decoration next to a nectarine.
According to Wikipedia, the nectarine, a smooth-skinned variety of peach, originated and was first cultivated in China.  Likewise, this vase also appears to have originated in China, though I can only vouch for its origins in a Brunswick charity shop.

Oil on canvas board, 4" x 6"

Monday 26 October 2015

Carrot with Silver-Plated Jug

Oil painting of an orange carrot beside a small silver-plated jug.
This is certainly not the first time I've painted this jug, nor is it rare for me to choose a carrot as subject matter.  In fact, a certain former Australian Government Minister and one-time Midnight Oil singer is named after a recurring root vegetable: Repeater Carrot.

Oil on canvas board, 6" x 4"

Friday 23 October 2015

Tomato with Copper Jug

Oil painting of a small copper jug beside a tomato.
Once upon a time we heard things on the vine (admittedly grape rather than tomato) or down the copper wire.

Oil on canvas board, 6" x 4"

Thursday 22 October 2015

Still Life with Plastic Roses

Oil painting of white, yellow and red roses in a blue vase, with a smaller vase and white rose below.
If the past tense of arise is arose, why isn't the present tense of rose rise?

Oil on canvas board, 16" x 20"

Wednesday 21 October 2015

Tuesday 20 October 2015

Onion on Linen-Bound Book

Oil painting of a brown onion on top of green linen-bound book.
Peeling back the layers of an onion is like opening a closed book; well, figuratively at least.  Literally there's scant similarity.

Oil on canvas board, 6" x 4"