Superb Fairy Wren in oils

I painted this one a week or so ago - was just waiting for it to dry before listing it.  I have been thinking of painting a female and male bird fairy wren together.  I have a few reference photos that I could use - just have to work out what size and if I should paint them on watercolour paper or a canvas board.

Superb Fairy Wren measures 6 x 6 inches and is painted on Ampersand Gessobord panel.

Many thanks to Wayne Butterworth for the reference photo.

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Flame Robin in oils

I loved painting this bird. I decided to paint it in oils.  These robins can be  found in the coolest parts of south-eastern Australia as well as in Tasmania.  They are about 12 - 14 cm  long.   I have a few other Australian birds lined up to paint in the  larger format as opposed to the aceo's - I will paint some in oils and others in acrylics on paper.

Flame Robin measures 6 x 6 inches and is painted on Ampersand Gessobord panel.

Many thanks to Patrick Kavanagh for the reference photo.

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Eastern Bluebird in oils

I decided to paint this lovely bird in a larger format.  I just love its colouring.  Some interesting facts about the Eastern Bluebird is that it can live for 6 - 10 years and the longest recorded livespan of a bluebird was 10 years and 5 months. 

Eastern Bluebird measures 6 x 6 inches and is painted on Ampersand Gessobord.

Many thanks to Andy Reago and Chrissy McClarren for the reference photo.

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Dawn Sail in oils

I love the colours of this one and had fun painting the sky and sea.  The most difficult part was painting the sails and the little boat but I eventually got there.   

Dawn Sail measures 5 x 7 inches and is painted on Ampersand Gessobord panel.

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Many thanks to Ruth Archer for the reference photo.

Red Rose in oils

This one was rather challenging to paint - usually I can just add white to lighten a colour but I couldn't do that this time as white turns the red to pink.  I used yellow and a bit of white to lighten the red.  I found it easier to work from a black and white reference photo which I have never done before for a painting - it was easier to determine the tonal variations using the black and white copy.  Also,  it was easier just to paint one petal at a time - was to confusing otherwise.  I am really pleased how it turned out in the end.   

Red Rose measures 6 x 6 inches and is painting on Ampersand Gessobord Panel.

Many thanks to KJ Sieloff for the reference photo.

Nuthatch in oils

I love the colours of this one. I am very happy how it turned out.  The painting actually took longer  to dry than normal due to the rainy weather.  The last few days have been nice and sunny which is a lovely change from all the rain.   Fingers crossed it continues.

Nuthatch measures 6 x 6 inches and is painted on Ampersand Gessobord panel.

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Many thanks to ChrissyM for the reference photo.

Jug and Mandarin in oils

I visited the Salvo's store last week for a few still life props.  I felt a bit bad as they had a special on - you could fill a bag for $5. I ended up buying about 11 different items and this jug is one of the items. It was fun to paint.

It is a pretty miserable day here today.  Started off sunny but it has now turned cold and rainy. 

Jug and Mandarin measures 6 x 6 inches and is painted on Ampersand Gessobord.

Daisies in Boots in oil

This one was rather fun to paint.  I like the texture I created with the flowers - I used a lot of white paint - just as well it was the fast drying white otherwise I would have been waiting forever for it to dry.

Daisies in Boots measures 5 x 7 inches and is painted on Ampersand Gessobord.

Many thanks to Gwen Card for the reference photo.

Tea and Crackers in oils

I have had this still life set up in mind for a while and I am rather pleased how it turned out.  The crackers and cheese were rather yummy to eat too.

Tea and Crackers measures 6 x 6 inches and is painted on Ampersand Gessobord.

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Manadrin in oils

Mandarin's are back in season so I thought it would be a good subject to paint.  I was not sure if I should paint it peeled or whole but in the end I decided to leave it whole.  Might do another painting with one peeled.

Mandarin measures 5 x 5 inches and is painted on Ampersand Gessobord.

Bay of Fires, Tasmania in oils

This was one of the views from one of the  beaches in the Bay of Fires region.  It is a spectacular region in Tasmania.  Bay of Fires region is known for its white beaches, blue sea and granite rocks covered with orange lichen.  You can sit for hours on the beach just watching the sea and enjoying the peace and quite.

Bay of Fires, Tasmania measures 6 x 6 inches and is painted on Ampersand Gessobord.


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Bunch of grapes in oil

So for my next fruit painting I decided to paint a  bunch of red grapes.  It is actually quite fun painting grapes -  I find it easier just to paint one grape at a time.

Bunch of Grapes measures 5 x 5 inches and is painted on Ampersand Gessobord.

Tiger in oils

I photographed this beautiful tiger at Taronga Zoo, Sydney a few years ago. I am very happy how it turned out.  Taronga Zoo is lovely place- would like to go back again - I didn't even manage to visit the Australian wildlife sections - spent too long watching the big cats.

Tiger measures 6 x 6 inches and is painted on Ampersand Gessobord.

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Strawberries in oil

Here is my next fruit painting.  I am very happy how this one turned out.  I always find it a bit tricky when painting a red object as you can't just add white to lighten it - makes it too pink.  I tend to use a combination of yellow and white to lighten red objects and it works really well.  As I type this I can hear thunder so the weather forecast was correct - it is a bit strange to be having a storm in autumn but the weather has been a bit weird all year so why not a storm in autumn. I must go and check the windows as I can hear the rain coming.

Strawberries measures 5 x 5 inches and is painted on Ampersand Gessobord.

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Many thanks to Tracee Murphy for the strawberry reference photo.

Lemon in oils

I love painting fruit as I love the play of light against dark.   I experimented a bit with the table top colour and in the process found  the perfect colour combination which I think works really well. I really enjoyed painting this one so I am planning on using the remaining  three 5 x 5 inch panels to paint some more fruit paintings.

Lemon measures 5 x 5 inches and is painted on Ampersand Gessobord.

Cup of Tea in oils

When I painted the Breakfast painting, I really enjoyed painting the teacup so I decided to feature the teacup in it's own painting.  I love the colour of the cup.  I will definitely be including it in another painting.

Cup of Tea measures 6 x 6 inches and is painted on Ampersand Gessobord.

Spring Lamb in Oils

I couldn't resist painting this cute little lamb.  It was interesting painting the woolly coat - I found it a bit different to painting fur. 

Spring Lamb measures 6 x 6 inches and is painted on Ampersand gessobord.

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Many thanks to Gary Jones for the reference photo.

House Finch in oils

I couldn't resist painting this little bird when I saw the reference photo.  I love the angle of the birds head and how the light falls onto the feathers.

House Finch measures 6 x 6 inches and is painting on Ampersand Gessobord.

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Many thanks to  Marcus Moller for the reference photo. 

Breakfast in oils

Enjoyed painting this one. Painting the egg was interesting as I had to think about what colours to mix together to get  the right colour for the shell.  I also loved painting the egg cup and tea cup.

Breakfast measures 6 x 6 inches and is painting on Ampersand Gessobord.

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Country Cottage in oils

This was one of the views of the Bed and Breakfast that I stayed at when on holiday in Tasmania in 2007. It was the old railway station (built in 1838) that was used to offload supplies before they were transported to the prison site at Port Arthur.  Hence the name of the B&B is Norfolk Bay Convict Station (http://www.convictstation.com).  The Port Arthur Historic site was only a 10 minute drive away.  (http://www.portarthur.org.au).  I love visiting Tasmania - there is so much to see and do at different times of the year. 

Country Cottage measures 6 x 6 inches and is painted on Ampersand Gessobord.