BUY STILL LIFE PAINTINGS IN OILS FOR SALE

Many of my still life paintings benefit from serendipity. Often mishaps on my part. The asparagus spear shown below was one of them. I was attempting to make my own mayo to accompany the vegetables when I dropped the egg carton, spilling a sticky mess over the worktop. From somewhere, the idea of a piece of asparagus spearing an egg popped into my head. So far, so good. First, I tried puncturing a hole in the shell with a skewer. More broken eggs. This left only artistic licence. However, I needed a photograph of a yolk dripping down an asparagus tip. Sounds simple, but trying to take a snap before the yolk covers the entire stem and my wife’s hand holding it is a challenge. More mess to clean up and divorce territory!

The lightbulb on a broken beam came from another accident. Rummaging in the loft, I knocked the bulb out of the socket. It fell, hit a beam on the way down and smashed. Another lightbulb (ha!) moment ensued. What if I could reverse the effect of the two objects colliding and create a painting with a surreal element? Viola!

Much of my other still life makes the most of a fascination with reflective surfaces and textures. Many people tell me glass is hard to paint, but it isn’t if you master the technique. I never try and paint every reflection or highlight that is visible. Instead, I edit and move them about to fit the composition. After all, if the glass looks ‘glassy,’ job done!