Finger

Finger

oil on ivory piano key

 $120

I thought it would be fun to paint a finger on a piano key. It was!

Short Stubby Pencil

Short Stubby Pencil

oil on ivory piano key

 $120

Faber

Faber

Oil on ivory mounted on Sapele wood

 $120

Mars Point

Mars Point

Oil on ivory mounted on rosewood

Approx 60x52mm with mount

 $120

Live Match on Lapis Lazuli

Live Match on Lapis Lazuli

Acrylic on ivory piano key mounted on rosewood

 $120

I thought I'd try grinding the lapis lazuli pigment in acrylic medium, reasoning that the acrylic is colourless compared to the yellowish oil and so perhaps lending more clarity to the subtle colour.

Burnt Match on Lapis Lazuli

Burnt Match on Lapis Lazuli

 Oil on ivory mounted on Rosewood

 $120

sold

While I was in london I visited a wonderful art supply shop, Cornelissen's , which has apparently been in buisiness since 1855.  I wanted to get something I couldn't get normally and so I got some genuine lapis lazuli pigment. Lapis lazuli has always been a very rare and expensive pigment and was one of the earliest permament blues that artists could use before they had modern synthetic pigments such as ultramarine. It is a very beautiful and subtle blue and was most often used as a thin glazing colour in draperies and robes. I have heard stories that it was so precious that artists would save the sediment from turpentine they washed their brushes in!  This was my first try out, using it thinly in the background for a match painting on ivory.

Dead Crossed Matches

Dead Crossed Matches

oil on ivory piano key

28x21mm

 $90

The Lost Button

The Lost Button

Oil on Ivory Piano Key
$100

For purchasing info click here

sold

When I decided to paint this subject I remembered some old ivory piano keys I'd been given. I had been meaning to try them as a painting support for a while and thought this would be an ideal opportunity. Miniatures have long been traditionally painted on ivory. I must admit feeling a bit guilty about the long deceased elephant, but it is a wonderful material to work with. I painted directly onto the ivory after sanding and cleaning it, and left the ivory showing through within the actual button. It was quite a test for my aging eyesight this one..! The photo is larger than life size.