Glencairn Whisky Glass with Banana

A Speyside malt whisky typically smells of bananas (or fruitcake).  In this picture, the banana represents the smell, and the empty whisky glass represents what happens if a Speyside malt gets anywhere near my alcoholic clutches.

While the posting of this image is coincidental with the date of the Scottish referendum, might I offer my condolences to my Scottish friends who voted yes (or aye) today (or yesterday as it is in Scotland now, but not in Australia).

Oil on canvas board, 4" x 6"

Copper Jug and Garlic Bulb

While this jug pun is very pour, it's the terrible garlic joke that means this website really should be cloved down.

Oil on canvas board, 6" x 4"

Royal Park Train Station at Melbourne Zoo

This was painted from near the second tee of the Royal Park Golf Course, and it was somewhat disconcerting to hear sundry golfers teeing off behind me.  You might say it was good training in the art of remaining stationary, which is rather appropriate skill to have when painting a train station.

Oil on canvas board, 5" x 7"

Saturday Afternoon, Royal Park, Melbourne

Royal Park presented a royally pleasing scene on a royally agreeable afternoon, while the two figures represented in the painting (the blobs below the tree) had well and truly parked themselves in the shade.

Oil on canvas board, 7" x 5"

Pear and Ginger Beer Bottle

Ginger beer bottle and a pear beside.  Not quite as fun, however, as a ginger beer and pear be-cider.

Portrait: Man in a Hat

Single session portrait of a man in a hat wearing his sunnies.  The light looks bright, but this was painted indoors and therefore the glasses and hat serve no practical purpose.

Oil on canvas board, 12" x 16:

Zucchini with Jar of Barley

A zucchini is a two-piece swimsuit for animals; one which barley covers their bodies.

Oil on canvas board, 4" x 6"

Apple with Silver-Plated Jug

I found another small jug in the second-hand shop; I now own three small jugs.  This unstoppable accumulation of jugs could perhaps be described as a juggernaut, though a juggernaut might also describe the condition where one owns no jugs at all.

Manna Gum, Rosebery Hill, Pipers Creek

This is definitely not a Mannerist painting, but it is Manna Gumist.

Oil on canvas board, 5" x 7"

River Red Gum, Royal Park, Melbourne

I reckoned this Royal Park River Red Gum of respectable reach would be resplendent if rendered with the rays of the late reign of the refulgent sun.  In other words, I thought the afternoon sun looked good on this tree.

Oil on canvas board, 5" x 7"

Wooden Artist's Model Hand

Here the artist is inviting the viewer to join him in his existential crisis by sharing his cathartic response to the modern world.  Actually, to be honest it's nothing more than the forty-year-old artist demonstrating his juvenility.

Oil on canvas board, 4" x 6"

Female Nude: Back Study

Painted over two class sessions (28th August and 4th September).  This particular model has an exceptional ability to keep still; she is, in fact, the very model of a model.

Oil on canvas board, 16" x 20"

Teacup with Lemon

This is actually a painting of two lemons: the citrus fruit, and the failure of a teacup.  In order to see the highlight on the inside of the teacup, it was necessary for me to sit up straight; however, the inevitable slouch took over and I wound up painting the bottom of the cup from a different perspective.  Multiple viewpoints are all very well if you're a Post-Impressionist named Cézanne, but I am not he, alas, and this is supposed to be an exercise in Tonal Realism.

Oil on canvas board, 6" x 4"

Glass Vase with Yellow Daffodil

This flower was picked a number of days earlier and was beginning to wilt.  I can assure you it was no shrinking violet, because clearly it was a shrinking daffodil.

Oil on canvas board, 4" x 6"

Daffodils in Blue Castor Oil Bottle

Daffodils from my folk's garden.  Unusually for me, not only have I painted real flowers, but I've also taken the novel approach of placing them inside a receptacle rather than beside it.

Oil on canvas board, 4" x 6"

Rear of House in Park Drive, Parkville

Wardlow is the grandest house in South Parkville, not to mention the most famous, partly due to its use as the exterior for Miss Fisher's house in Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries.  Keen observers--or even those less keen--will notice that this isn't it, but you can see the corner of Wardlow's cast-iron fence in the bottom right corner.  Alternatively, you can almost see this scene in the bottom left of this photograph of Wardlow.

Oil on canvas board, 7" x 5"

House at Rosebery Hill, Pipers Creek

When I paint at my parents' place I tend to leave my pictures behind in order to dry, and only recently I've started to photograph them so that I can post them to my blog.  However, I forgot to photograph this painting, hence I asked my father to do it for me; as a result, he has requested a photo credit.  While some may suggest others shouldn't ask for credit (as refusal often offends), I'm all for giving credit where credit is due.

Oil on canvas board, 5" x 7"
Photograph: Barry Murphy

Yellow Roses with Silver-Plated Vase

Gluten-free flowers and fat-free vase.

Oil on canvas board, 4" x 6"

Leather Bound Book and Torpedo Bottle

This is my brand new old book titled Gleanings from the English Poets.  To be honest, I haven't gleaned much from it yet aside from the fact that the gold embossing on the cover is very hard to paint convincingly.

Oil on canvas board, 4" x 6"

Onion and Small Copper Pot

Yet another copper item from the second-hand shop.  The proprietor asked me if I'd like him to send the coppers round to my house, but I remained silent; with all the onions at my place, I might have been in a real pickle.

Oil on canvas board, 6" x 4"