Citrus and Grapes on Cloth

This was painted late in the day. I raided the fruit bowl once again and set to work in the last few hours before the light went. This seems to happen about 3.30pm now that the clocks have changed. It goes to show that you cannot waste the mornings when the light is good. Daylight bulbs just do not seem to solve the problem for me.

Softly Boiled

The most trying part of the process of painting this was to produce a decent looking boiled egg. My first attempt the yolk seemed non existent , by the time I dug dowwn to it the egg looked a dog's dinner. The toast was ready and the butter had all but disappeared by the time the second egg was ready, so I piled on more butter. Then Minnie my little cat was beside herself trying to climb up to the butter once again. Finally I got down to the painting... hopefully my patience paid off:)

Oil sketch of Alan

Although I am the first to admit there are a lot of adjustments needed on this oil sketch, I had a great time with the process.... letting rip over a two hour session, full concentration with the plotting/drawing stage and then Ipod on and it goes where it takes me. I thoroughly enjoyed myself... what do they say about when you start to enjoy yourself.... Stop!?

Cracked Open

Sometimes you choose a subject and sometimes it chooses you. I always favour the large eggs which are a tight fit and prone to breakage in the average egg box. Turning a negative into a positive is always the best way to approach these small daily trials. Broken shell and raw eggs is a popular and fun subject to paint, so maybe it was just meant to be.

Sardine Supper

I had to ban my little cat Minie to the utility room this morning whilst I painted this. She is very determined when she knows there is something worth eating on my still-life table and has been known to lick the butter off previous set ups. I wasn't taking any chances today, but she has been rewarded hansomely this evening with a sardine supper:)

Oil Sketch of Alan

I painted Alan this morning at the scout hut in a single session of just over two hours. Alan runs the newsagent near the hut; everybody who is anybody gets roped in by Phil who organises us all. This painting is my 100th daily painting to be posted so it is a bit of a landmark for me; does it mean I can start a new page of paintings? Rather like being given a new exercise book at school it makes you want to make a fresh start and produce better paintings than the first hundred. Only time will tell......

Laudanum Bottle

This Laudanum bottle is on loan to me from a friend and fellow artist. It belonged to his father and I have no idea how it came into his possession. I find it a thing of beauty but couldn't help thinking of Lizzy Siddal, the pre-raphaelite model, poet and artist who succumbed to this opium tincture. It would be interesting to know this bottle's history before it landed on my still-life table.

Cajun

This bottle of Cajun sauce was a present for my husband who likes his chillies. These small gifts of cooking ingredients dipping bowls etc. all get commandered for subject matter and he doesn't get much of a look in until they have worked quite hard for me. Luckily chillies are often to be found lurking at the back of the fridge and are glad to get out for a bit; which could also be said about me!

Ripe

Figs are plentiful at the moment which is just as well as my little fig tree didn't produce any fruit this year. Figs are great to paint; I love the bruised colour of the skin and that wonderful scarlet flesh. They also taste wonderful. There is a saying that to be truly content in life you need to sit beneath your own fig tree. If I am patient my little fig tree will one day grow big enough to provide shade as well as fruit:)

Hot Chocolate and Bourbons

I liked the look of this stripey mug so it found it's way into my shopping basket. My mugs tend to be designated as tea or coffee mugs; this one wasn't having any of it, only hot chocolate would suit. The bourbons with their pinkish chocolatey hue seemed the perfect partner just as they did on the taste front.

Oil Sketch of Tom

Today the portrait group moved to our new venue, yet another scout hut. It is a much lighter room than we are used to, the light bounces around a bit but there are no nasty surprises when we see our efforts in proper daylight. Tom is a local musician and is always a great subject; his hair gets a bit wild the longer it gets and changes his look markedly. This study was completed in just over 2 hours and although there are a lot of adjustments and refinements that could be made I felt I had captured something of him and I had fun, which is what it is all about!

Brown Jar and Fruit

You can see from the last two posts how hard these grapes have had to work for me; seeing them together does bring it home that I am guilty of flogging my fruit to an inch of their lives! I got so caught up with my aim of laying down the brushwork with no fiddling or fussing I painted the two studies one after the other, buoyed by my own enthusiasm, I hardly moved the poor old grapes, I dare not! I think there may be a lesson here?