Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Dandelion Clock


Dandelion Clock
Oil on gessoed board
100x195mm
sold
This painting is a very simple composition, however the actual depiction of the seed head gave me much grief. I painted it over and over several times until I was even remotely happy with it. I envy those virtuoso artists who can wave their brush seemingly effortlessly over the canvas and achieve such convincing results. I feel so ham-fisted in comparison. Nothing comes easy to me in painting.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Burnt Match Stuck in BlueTac


Burnt Match Stuck in BlueTac
Oil on gessoed board
80X60mm
This one was painted during the same session as the sharpener and drawing pin. Not sure if there's any connection.. they are all just things that caught my eye amongst the detritous that resides in my studio. This one amuses me because it vaguely resembles a public sculpture in New Plymouth by the internationally famous artist, Len Lye.

Old Drawing Pin


Old Drawing PinOil on gessoed board
47X57mm
$85
sold

Pencil Sharpener


Pencil Sharpener
Oil on gessoed board
47x63mm

sold 
I was happy with this little painting. I like the shaft of light coming from the gap between the blade and the sharpener.

Monday, December 29, 2008

Two Dark Cherries on Yellow


Two Dark Cherries on Yellow
Oil on gessoed board
85x70mm
sold
Paintings of cherries seemed popular about two years ago when I couldn't paint them fast enough. Fashions change. This year it's pencils. I thought I'd paint some cherries anyway for old times sake. I painted it quickly and resisted my usual compulsion to go over it again, correcting tones etc, so it's very fresh. Fresh cherries anyone?

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Gold Christmas Ribbon


Gold Christmas Ribbon
Oil on gessoed board
100x100mm
I'm not even sure what these things are called, but you stick them on presents.

Pink Chalk


Pink Chalk
Oil on gessoed board
$85

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Dark Green Pencil Stub


Dark Green Pencil StubOil on gessoed board 
sold

Someone kindly sent me some dozens of old pencils to paint. I like the little stubs!

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Kawakawa Leaf


Kawakawa Leaf
Oil on gessoed board
100x100mm
sold
This is a leaf from a Kawakawa growing along the path to my studio. It's a NZ native tree commonly known as the Pepper tree on account of it's peppery taste, and the insects seem to like it judging by the fact that it's difficult to find a leaf that hasn't been chewed with holes! It has strong medicinal qualities and is used for indigestion amongst many other ailments.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Marble


Marble
Oil on gessoed board
approx 50x60mm
sold
I loved marbles as a child and would gaze into them for hours.. I think for me they represented a perfect little spherical world. It's not like that really is it?

Eraser and a Scribble


Eraser and a Scribble
Oil and graphite on gessoed board
80x90mm
This was inevitable after all those scribbles I suppose...

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Scribble


Scribble
Oil and graphite on gessoed board
66x85mm
$85
I guess this is an abstract really...

BAD Pencil


BAD Pencil
Oil and graphite on gessoed board
85x150mm
Commission NFS
This is the final initialled pencil commision and I deliberately saved it till last!

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Pencil Stub With Scribble


Pencil Stub With Scribble
Oil on gessoed board
65x85mm
$100
I quite like this one.

Parsnip Top


Parsnip Top
Oil on gessoed board
80x90mm
$85
Inspiration from kitchen scraps.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Red and Green Chillies


Red and Green Chillies
Oil on gessoed board
85x165mm
$85
sold

Green Pencil For Barbara


Green Pencil For Barbara
Oil on gessoed board
85x165mm
Commission NFS
Red pencils seem the most popular so it was a nice change to paint a green one.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Pencil For B Wong


Pencil For B Wong
Oil on gessoed board
82x147mm
Commision NFS
I was rather pleased with this one. It was to be a well chewed pencil and I gave it a rather grungey look. The idea of the scribble behind it was a spur of the moment decision and I like the way it's movement gives a nice contrast to the static pencil.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Red Pencil For Carol


Red Pencil For Carol
Oil on gessoed board
Commision NFS
The brief for this one was that it be exactly the same as a previous red pencil I'd painted in this series, with the name Carol in white. I must admit it felt an unatural thing for me to do. I've never before tryed to paint the same picture twice so it was an interesting exercise.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Red Pencil For Kirsten


Red Pencil For Kirsten
Oil on gessoed board
90x165mm
Commission NFS

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Staedtler Tradition For SCH


Staedtler Tradition For SCH
Oil on gessoed board
85x150mm
NFS Commision
This is so far the only pencil commision where the brand of pencil was specifically asked for. I thought this one should have a nice sharp point for accuracy. My model was a 3B and I wasn't sure if this would be correct, so I left it out. Plus the fact that it cluttered up the end where the initials are, and I didn't want to distract from that. But really it was cos I knew it would drive perfectionists nuts... ;->

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Purple HB For HLC


Purple HB For HLC
Oil on gessoed board
125x120mm
Commision NFS
I tryed something a little different with the composition of this one, placing the pencil on a piece of pink notepaper. I struggled a bit with the colour balance between the pink and the purple. I always find them tricky colours to work with. Having started it after the capsicum painting I ran out of time and had to continue the next day. ie: today.

Cut Red Capsicum


Cut Red Capsicum
Oil on gessoed board
80x90mm

$100

I should have been working on my initialled pencil commisions, but this cut capsicum caught my eye on the kitchen bench and I couldn't resist painting it. I wanted to paint it life size but I didn't have a board of the appropriate dimensions so I went for another miniature. Contrary to what most people think, smaller paintings dont actually take less labour and time, but it's generally expected that they will have a correspondly smaller price tag. I don't feel that I can make my price tags much smaller. I guess I'm not a miniaturist afterall...

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Candy Cane in Small Glass Bottle


Candy Cane in Small Glass Bottle
Oil on gessoed board
60x95mm
$100
sold
This is the ghost of Christmas past in many ways. It's been stood on my shelf waiting to be painted for at least two Christmas's now! I noticed the candy is actually starting to melt and disolve in it's plastic covering so I thought it was high time to do the painting while I still had the chance. It's a very small miniature. I find a fascination with miniatures and I enjoyed painting this.

Pencil For CPMcA


Pencil For CPMcA
Oil on gessoed board
100x115mm
Commision NFS

Monday, December 08, 2008

Red pencil For B.H.McI


Red pencil For B.H.McI
Oil on gessoed board
80x145mm
Commision NFS
This is another of the initialled pencil series. If anyone else is keen for a name or initials on a pencil, just email me. Price is just $100. You can choose your own colour.

Two Dollar Coin


Two Dollar Coin
Oil on gessoed board
60x80mm

Sunday, December 07, 2008

Beer Cap With Three Stars


Beer Cap With Three Stars
Oil on gessoed board
60x80mm
$80

sold

Saturday, December 06, 2008

Three Nectarines in a Dish


Three Nectarines in a DishOil on gessoed board
200x200mm
$350
sold
It's interesting sometimes, what can be the decided factor for me in choosing a subject to paint. In this case it was the little chink of light in the shadow between the two front nectarines. And the smell. I love the fragrance of nectarines even more than the taste! It took me a while to settle into this painting - I hadn't been feeling very focused for a few days. However, by the end of the afternoon I felt I had got it finished to my satisfaction. Next morning, looking at it with fresh eyes, the dish seemed hopelessly cock-eyed! It's funny how you can be so engrossed in the nuance of colour and tone that you don't even notice when the drawing is out! There was nothing for it really... I had to repaint the dish, and I reworked the forground and shadow too.

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Pencil For M.R.


Pencil For M.R.
Oil on gessoed board
approx 100x100mm
NFS
This was a commision. I am now offering to paint anyone a pencil with their name or initials scratched into it in the way that we did when we were kids. Great for gifts. Price is $100. Please email me if you're interested. On this one I made it look like the initials were done with ballpoint ink. The colour of blue ballpoint ink I discovered is: ultramarine blue and alizarian crimson plus a small touch of ivory black.