One Man Down

Miniature #14
Oil on canvas board
7"x9" oil
January 14, 2009

I absolutely hate wasting paint. If they are mucky colours, I'll tone canvas with them, but what do you do when you have a plateful of beautiful, shimmering oranges, yellows, and reds? Well, you peel the orange you just finished painting and start a new composition! Eating and chores just had to wait. The colours were calling out to me. The way the light penetrated the two slices at the left and made them glow is simply magical.

Unwrap Me

Miniature #13
Oil on canvas board
7"x9" oil
January 14, 2009

This was really fast to paint. This painting and the next one took a total of 3 hours altogether. This is coming from someone who spends that amount of time or more on one painting over several days, waiting for each layer of paint to dry. The result here is less refined, but juicier and more emotional. I also used a fatter brush. My favourite part is the ring of peel and its shadow. They look like they're dancing.

The Lucent Pear

Miniature #12
Oil on canvas board
7"x9" oil
January 12, 2009

I make a point never to eat anything I paint since I'm a messy artist and tend to get paint on my clothes, my skin, and my models – and truthfully, turpentine and linseed oil don’t strike me as very tasteful condiments. This is the same pear as in last painting. I loved it so much I simply had to paint it again but this time on a lighter background. I like how snug the pear looks, all cuddled in a lush blanket. It probably knows I won’t eat it – it will simply sit on my desk, all lovely and inspiring… and eventually rot.

The Shadow Pear

Miniature #12
Oil on canvas board
7"x9" oil
January 12, 2009

I loved painting this pear. The story of how I acquired it is rather amusing. I must have picked through a dozen pears to find the right one with a nice pink blush to it. The people behind me thought I was crazy. (It reminds me of that time I bought a slice of designer cake to paint and nearly cried when the lady at the counter broke the decorations at the top. She just couldn’t understand why it would matter so much, and I didn’t have the heart to explain).

This was really fast (and fun) to paint – maybe only an hour if you disregard setup and cleanup. I love the contrast of the saturated blue in the background and the reddish shadows on the pear.

Cup-O-Egg

Miniature #11
Oil on canvas board
7"x9" oil
Sometime between September and December 2008

I actually like this painting quite a bit. The background is very rough, unfinished, fluid. I especially like the yolk mixing with the egg white. The yolk was barely broken (accidentally) and slowly seeped into the white as I painted, creating a wonderful protein mist. For those who don't know my living conditions, I like to live light and compact. I have 2 types of recipients to drink from -- coffee mugs and wine glasses and only the latter is transparent. So, though the choice of container was due to material constrictions, I quite like the look. It reminds me of an awkward bar drink.

Thrusting Banana

Miniature #10
Oil on canvas board
7"x9" oil
Sometime between September and December 2008

The title seems suggestive, but the meaning is truly innocent – this painting reminds me of a walrus jumping from a platform into a pool. Can’t anyone just see the flippers and hear that delightful sound? This plate is absolutely beautiful so I’ll need to show it off on its own someday. Concerning logistics, I wanted the banana to look just right so I kept on biting it hoping that Providence grant me something interesting. At one point, the fruit got so short, I had to peel a second one and start all over again. No wonder I’m not hungry after a painting session!

A Green Delight

Miniature #9
Oil on canvas board
7"x9" oil
Sometime between September and December 2008

I don't feel 100% satisfied with this so I didn't want to post it at first; however, I haven't updated in so long that I might just as well show people the botched painbtings. I don't think I got the flesh of the apple or the triangular highlight just right yet. On the plus side, I'm really satisfied with how the bowl and its shadow came out. It's a pretty ordinary white bowl, but I love the blue shadows inside it.