STILL LIFE

Another still life - could be the last for 2013!

Gum Blossoms in Reflection.

40cm x 40cm

Gum Blossoms in Reflection.

PAINTINGS CONTINUED

Two more paintings for my collection.

Waratahs and Apples

Still Life with Pottery

TWO MORE PAINTINGS

A couple more for the collection:

This is a mixed bunch with Australian pottery and one of my koobaburra jugs from my collections (see earlier posts.

Snap dragons, Irises and stocks.

MORE PAINTINGS OF STILL LIFE

I continue to paint my favourite subject.  Lovely vases, objects and flowers. 


 

Nasturtiums, pokerwork napkin rings and Kookaburra Jug

This is a small painting 30cm x 30cm

Grevillia and Banksia

This painting is 35cm x 45cm.

Zinnias and Frog

This painting is 40cm x 50cm.

STILL LIFE - PAINTINGS

I have started painting again.  I guess when you paint or make any sort of art you never really stop you just have breaks from working.

Well I dont need to talk about making art I would rather just show you what I have been doing of late.

Gum blossoms and gum nuts

Banksia in glass vases

These are two small paintings 12" x 16".

Still life arrangement with dried flora and shells

Larger painting 20" x 24".

Purple ginger, limes and kookaburra jug

This painting is 14" x 18".

All these paintings are painted in acrylics.

SPRING GARDEN

I really wish it would rain.  It has been weeks of dry weather and the rain tanks are getting low and the soil is very dry.  Watering by hand only does so much - a good soaking from a sustained rainfall really does the trick to provide the deep moisture necessary to growth.

I have planted Scarlet runner beans, two types of cucumbers - a small lebanese cucumber and a cucumber called Mexican Sour Gherkin.  The later is supposed to be a climber so I have planted it where the snow peas were.  I am preparing another bed for a small pickling cucumber called Parisian.

Scarlet runner seedlings

I have also started raising my own lettuce - a baby cos and another called Crisp Mint.  I bought a commercial seed raising mixture and let me tell you it is a total dud.  No wonder I had so much trouble with my Alpine Strawberry seeds.  I succeeded with these against the odds.

With the lettuce I planted out a tray with the commercial mixture and another tray with my home made seed raising mixture.  The home made seed raising mixture is made of:

• A small block of coir peat especially designed for seeds (available from Bunnings)
• Half a bag of perlite
• Commercial compost

The coir peat for seeds expands into this lovely soft stuff which easily mixes with the other ingredients.  I keep this in one of those long white buckets with a lid.

The above is the commercial seed raising mixture.  The lettuce have remained this size for weeks.  I will try planting them out but dont hold much hope for them.

The above seedlings were planted on the 4th of September.  They are practically ready for the garden.  If you click on the image you will see the difference in the texture etc of the home made seed raising mixture.  The middle two rows contains seedlings of Blue Pimpernell as we all need some colour in the garden.

I have planted chives in a pot and they are just starting to show through the soil.

In the rock garden I have also planted a little daisy type flower.  It spreads so I hope it will look good amongst the other plants.

I will let you know the progress of the garden as it evolves - please rain.

MY COLLECTIONS

Collecting things is a terrible disease.  You start off with a few things and then you buy more and more until it starts to get out of hand.  You know you are not the only person with this disease when you try and buy something you like on ebay and are met with a competitive fury which outdoes the polititicans of the land.  The "others", as I will refer to them use all sorts of devices to outdo you when it comes to bidding.  The experts use sniping devices - hanging around to the last second to bid - or buying software to snipe for them when they aren't around.

I can't be bothered anymore with this.  I just put my maximum bid in near the end and leave it at that.  If it works it works if not then I have saved myself some money.

I do love my little objects but that is all they are.  They sit there and and I look at them and remark how lovely they are to myself and then walk away.  I am getting to the point that I will only buy something if I really, really want it, which is now rarely.  Anyway, here they are. 

Click once to enlarge photo

Here is one of my cabinets.  It has 4 shelves jam packed with stuff.  I will highlight my collection of kookaburra and other jugs.  These are made by my favourite post war Japanese manufacturer, Marutomoware.  Not all of them are made by Marutomoware but the majority are.

My absolute favourite Marutomoware are the ones with little kookaburras and gum nuts on them.  These are just gorgeous but totally impractical.  I once put water in one jug to put flowers in and it leaked.  As they used to say in the 60's - if it is made in Japan then it was cheap and nasty.  Of course Japanese manufacture has come a long way since then to be taken over by the Chinese.  I haven't come across any Chinese kitsch that I like yet but I am sure the next generation of collectors will find it.

This is another lovely little cabinet.  It is all lead light and totally impractical - just the way I like them.  This cabinet has my little vintage childrens tea sets and Marutomoware juicers and juicers by others that I love.

Top shelf children sea sets middle shelf Nell McCredie tea set

The blue tea set is by Nell McCredie - Australian potter (1901-1968).

The next picture showcases my favourite Marutomoware pieces with the little kookaburras and gum leaves.

I haven't taken a picture of the whole cabinet just that one shelf.  On top of this particular cabinet are examples of my frog jug collection.

Next is my latest (and hopefully) last glass cabinet which actually contains predominantly glass objects.  A lot of this stuff belonged to my Mother and I am very fond of them.

It also has (on the left) more Marutomoware this time honey jars with gorgeous little bees on them, plus a frog and other cruet sets.  The bottom shelf are my Mother's pieces I inherited.

I just had to show you the mirror with the sailing ship on the wall with the sailing ship I got from a $2 shop - I think this was probably made in China, so there goes I do have some modern Chinese kitsch.