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"

Monday 19 October 2015

Lemon in Silver-Plated Egg Cup

Oil painting of a lemon in a decorative silver-plated egg cup.
Legg cup is a portmanteau word describing an egg cup used to hold lemons.  Some days I could certainly do with a legg cup.

Oil on canvas board, 4" x 6"

Sunday 18 October 2015

Kiwifruit with Sauce Jug

Oil painting of a blue porcelain sauce jug beside half of a dissected kiwifruit.
Known in New Zealand until the 1950s as a Chinese gooseberry, the kiwifruit has nothing to do with kiwis and even less to do with Chinese geese, while in China--according to a website of possibly dubious quality--they are identified as mí hóu táo.

Oil on canvas board, 4" x 6"

Saturday 17 October 2015

Oil Refinery at Altona

Oil painting of an oil refinery with a distinctive orange flame burning at the top of one tower, with a train line in the foreground.
This painting is somewhat looser in style than many of my pictures; you might say it's less refined.

Oil on canvas board, 8" x 10"

Friday 16 October 2015

Milk Jug with Plastic Grapes

Oil painting of a white porcelain milk jug beside a bunch of green plastic grapes.
Jug wine.  Sometimes I don't need to go to such grape lengths to make a pun.

Oil on canvas board, 6" x 4"

Wednesday 14 October 2015

Garlic Bulb in Old Fashioned Glass

Oil painting of a garlic bulb inside an old fashioned glass with red background.
A glass bulb, but not of the light emitting variety.

Oil on canvas board, 6" x 4"

Tuesday 13 October 2015

Sugar Gum, Royal Park

Oil painting of a lemon-scented gum partially illuminated by late afternoon sunlight.
I took a walk in the park, but as I can't walk and chew gum at the same time, I elected to stop walking and concentrate on painting gum.

Oil on canvas board, 8" x 10"

Monday 12 October 2015

Miniature Vase with Banana

Oil painting of a miniature white and red porcelain vase next to a banana.
Vases are vessels, bananas are fruit.
The latter decree is a thing of dispute:
For some would declare that banana's a herb;
Whatever the truth, they're mighty superb.

Oil on canvas board, 6" x 4"

Sunday 11 October 2015

Plastic Mannequin Hand

Oil painting of a black plastic mannequin hand with an orange background.
I've had first-hand rather than second or third-hand experience painting this second-hand hand.

Oil on canvas board, 4" x 6"

Saturday 10 October 2015

Egg with Miniature Vase

Oil painting of an egg resting in the top of a miniature blue and white porcelain vase.
Rather than over-egging the pudding, I composed this scene by putting an egg over a vase.

Oil on canvas board, 4" x 6"

Friday 9 October 2015

Mandarine with Copper Pot

Oil painting of a mandarine beside a small copper pot.
The juice from this mandarine should sweeten the pot.

Oil on canvas board, 6" x 4"

Wednesday 7 October 2015

Car on Fitzgibbon Street, Parkville

Oil painting of a car viewed through an opening at the end of an alleyway with afternoon sunlight and cast shadows.
Despite what its name suggests, it is rarely easy to find a park in Parkville.

Oil on canvas board, 8" x 10"

Tuesday 6 October 2015

Shropshire Blue Cheese with Onion

Oil painting of a small block of Shropshire Blue cheese beside a brown onion.
I'm so partial to this particular type of cheese that it took supreme restraint to keep from devouring it before finishing the painting.  Evidently my efforts weren't in vain.

Oil on canvas board, 6" x 4"

Monday 5 October 2015

Mozart Bust

Oil painting of a bisque porcelain bust of W.A. Mozart.
A composer of note; well, of several notes to be precise, often arranged in a most pleasing order.

Oil on canvas board, 4" x 6"

Sunday 4 October 2015

Wooden Hand

Oil painting of a wooden artist's model hand, with middle and index fingers extended.
I'm not sure what kind of tree provided the wood for this model hand, but I suspect it may have been a palm tree.

Oil on canvas board, 5" x 7"

Saturday 3 October 2015

My Left Hand

Oil painting of a hand viewed across the palm with the fingers facing towards the viewer.
It was with some difficulty that I managed to hold my hand in more or less the same position whilst painting, not to mention the complications I experienced in trying to wipe my brushes clean (generally an activity for two mitts).  In fact, I really could have done with an extra hand.

Oil on canvas board, 4" x 6"

Friday 2 October 2015

Weatherboard Cottage at Le Page Homestead, Hawkstowe Park

Oil painting of a chimney attached to a small weatherboard cottage.
This small two-roomed building is an 1850s pre-fabricated house; apparently the construction of modest portable dwellings was a cottage industry.

Oil on canvas board, 8" x 10"

Thursday 1 October 2015

Plaster Cast: Female Torso

Oil painting of a plaster cast of a female torso sans head and arms.
When I collected this plaster cast on Thursday, the shop assistant told me to examine it carefully for signs of damage; she seemed slightly unimpressed when I suggested the arms had broken off.

Oil on canvas board, 10" x 14"