#311 Bonsai Scissors

It's coming up to autumn and it's starting to be the right time for pruning, trees both large and small are ready for thier yearly hacking up! Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#310 Salmon

Turf last night, surf tonight! Fish pie was this evenings meal, minus this bit of salmon which is destined for other dishes... Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#309 Half a Sausage

Sausage Casserole for tea tonight so I snaffled this half of sausage before it got added to the pot! I enjoy contrasts whether they be through colour, tone or subject matter like this following on from the beauty of last nights orchid. The harder to define beauty of a raw sausage! Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#308 White Orchid

I think this has been my biggest plant triumph this year, getting this gorgeous white orchid to flower again. I wish I could remember when it started to flower but I think we have had an entire summer with two flower spikes looking amazing first in the bathroom then the front room. Sadly it started to drop this weekend so, I thought I had better take the opportunity to paint one of the still fresh flowers. Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#307 Carrot Top

I have been waiting all year for a carrot top with good leaf on it to paint and today I finally got my wish! Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#306 Chocolate Chip Cookie

Possibly my all time favourite biscuit. Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#305 Cashew Nut and a Half

It's great putting stuff back into the kitchen and realising what you have, like these cashew nuts! But also what you don't have like pots and pans for cooking in. So, we are off on an evening Ikea trip. Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#304 Papaya Spears

You may have been wondering how I have overcome my dry fruitless muesli from a few days ago. Well I found a packet of these papaya spears to chop up and add to the muesli to taste each day. Be aware not to put the fruit into the muesli when it is this fresh becasue the muesli will soak in the juice making it wet and wierd. Paintings and breakfast tips....interesting twist. Oil on gesso 16cm x12cm.

#303 Stag's Horn Beetle

Not only did the cakes from yesterday come my way as potential painting fodder, this beautiful stag's horn beetle was another monday morning visitor! Thank you Matt, I am already looking forward to the butterflies. I should explain, Matt is a photographer and this beetle and future butterflies are intended for a shoot. I hope they were dead when you lent them to me....Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#302 White Iced Doughnut

I have always enjoyed listening to test match special on the radio, mostly for the colourful descriptions of red buses, pigeons and helicopters. I am also hugely jealous of Aggers and co. and the seemingly endless procession of cakes that appear in the commentary box. Today I was very kindly presented with a tasty cake selection by one of the returning students (1st day back today) so, a big thank you to Tim for my 'T.M.S. Day'! Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#301 Chicken Heart

Not for the faint hearted this one. We are having roast chicken for tea tonight and I was delighted when Debbie presented me with the bag of giblets, I have been hoping we got a chicken with giblets in for some time now. I decided against the lungs, liver and the neck as I felt the heart was a much more iconic bit of offal. It is now in the gravy stock. Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.




sorry about the pun

#300 Conker

This particular horse chestnut seed, or conker, fell, of it's own accord, from a tree in Cheltenham Town Center narrowly missing Debbie, thus avoiding an unpleasant knock to the noggin. But it did get painted for its troubles. Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

300 paintings painted only 65 left! And yes I know what I am doing when this project ends on the 23rd of November. But you'll have to wait!

#299 Tiny Bobble Hat

You'll like the explanation for this one! Innocent drinks run a campaign in which crafts people of the UK knit or crochet a small bobble hat which is placed on top of a bottle of innocent smoothie or juice then sold in Sainsbury's supermarkets, 35p is then donated to Help the Aged. My partner, Debbie (who makes things) has just joined the blogging world and has been making these hats using her recently developed crochet skills 16cm x 12cm oil on gesso, half the final price of this auction will go to 'Help the Aged'.

#298 Onion

This falls in the category of "I can't believe I haven't painted one of these yet!" which is odd given how many get used in cooking every day. Oil on gesso panel 16cm x 12cm.

#297 Vanilla Pod

I am loving painting things with such amazing smells! Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

I intend to make the painting smell of vanilla too so the winning bidder of this, and probably the next few paintings, will have a lovely aroma to them.

#296 Muesli

You may have noticed that I like to paint objects that have a pertinence to the day they have been painted on. What better than a bit of breakfast cereal that I eat every day. This particular brand of fruit and nut muesli should be ashamed to use the words fruit and nut on the packet. There are about as many raisins in this painting as there have been in my bowl over the last two days I have eaten it! Sorry about that, rant over. Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#295 Razor Blade

When deciding on the days object all sorts of factors enter the decision making process. Impact on my day, exciting form, this one was all about that little strip of pale turquise on my razor blade. I also made a drawing of a razor and shaving foam years ago when I was a student which I should dig out and put on my other blog (sadly negleted a little during the summers kitchen exploits) . Any way enjoy the turquoise. Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#294 Tile Offcuts

Finished the tiling in the kitchen today, well nearly, just need to grout them. These are a couple of offcut bits I thought it would be neat as I painted the old white tiles at the begining of the kitchen marathon I began way back on the 7th of August! Oil on gesso panel 16cm x 12cm.

#293 Blueberry Muffin

This is the remains of a blue berry muffin. Do not adjust your screen, it was by the bluest blueberry muffin I have eaten. Oil on gesso panel 16cm x 12cm.

#292 Lobster Claw

Every now and again no object pops its head up, today was such a day. So, I found myself rummaging around the freezer and found a bag of lobster bits! I had kept from some weeks ago when we had a lobster, I couldnt see the shards go to waste and saved them for painting, tonight as it has turned out. Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#291 Dishwasher Tablet

Given I plumbed in the dishwashers outlet one way valve 'doodad' backwards last night (mmmmm clever) and tonight I have corrected my mistake and the dishwasher is currently doing it's thing. It seemed only right that I paint one of the free tablets that came with it! Oil on gesso panel 16cm x 12cm.

#290 Lychee and Lychee Stone

Lychees are a unique fruit, unusual colour and texture, with the the shiniest stones you will ever see! Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#289 Sango Radish Sprout

This is definitely the latest daily painting so far, I only have 23 minutes left to post so I had better get a wriggle on. Finished plumbing in the washing machine at 11o'clock this evening had to go and paint so, had a quick snack of a hunk of mature cheddar and a handful of these peppery little chaps - sango radish sprouts. Nice purple too. Oil on gesso panel 16cm x 12cm.

#288 Brandy Cork

This one should be called 'damn my brandy has run out', but that actually happened a couple of days ago and I kept the cork to paint. Also, it would have been good if it was a rum bottle as it is my friend Tim's birthday today and (bear with me on this) he is from Devon, or Cornwall or somewhere like that where they sound like pirates, but I dont drink much rum, and nor does he. Ummm anyway happy b'day Tim. Oil on gesso.

#287 Custard Cream

Happy Birthday to my sister, Kate!!!!! She loves custard creams, I was just thinking how neat it was that we decided (without knowing it I might add) to like different biscuits when we were young, meaning plenty of biscuits all round! Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#286 A large slice of Cucumber

Cool.

Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#285 Minesweeper

Not a real minesweeper, just a toy. Found today while clearing out one of the old painting studios in a chest of drawers. So many students make work using or about these little fellows I knew I would find one at some point in the year. Oil on gesso panel 16cm x 12cm.

#284 Two Olives

No special reason for these to be painted today, they are nice, we had some in the fridge, I snacked on a couple when I got in from work then painted 'em. Oh, and my Grandma was called Olive, mmm not sure if she liked olives though. Oil on gesso panel 16cm x 12cm.

apologies for this one, it didnt seem to appear yesterday, and I only just noticed rest assured it was painted yesterday ...wierd.

#283 Cherry Bakewell

A cherry bakewell might be the most suggested object for a painting, I haven't kept accurate records of such requests but a lot of people have said - 'you should paint a cherry bakewell' to which I reply - 'I probably will when I have some'. This is a mini bakewell from my extended kitchen fitting snack selection! Everyone knows you need a lot of cake when diying. And no, I dont just sit arouns and eat cake when I should be building/painting/flooring. Right off to do the ceiling, oo go on then maybe just one before I start! Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#282 Iced Doughnut

The importance of Doughnuts in the fitting of kitchens can't be stressed enough.