#189 Sprig of Larch

Back from our mini holiday deep into the Forest of Dean, well the edge of it, but we did go deep into it yesterday in the caves! The colour of the rocks was so vivid in some areas the red ochre really got my colour gland going (the colour gland is located just under each eye if you were wondering!). Imagine my delight when, coming out of the caves past displays of digging tools, old miners boots and the like, how I wanted to take some of those to paint, I saw a whole shelf of red ochre pigment made from the iron oxide from the caves I had just been through....then underneath those was a selection of little bits of minerals from the caves, which is what I painted. Anyway, that was yesterday, today I have painted this little sprig of larch tree which fell right next to where we had our breakfast this morning. It belonged to the tree we have been camping under over the last two nights so seemed a good object to paint when I got home, so I did. Oil on Gesso, 16cm x 12cm.

#188 Iron Oxide

This is a painting of a piece of iron oxide from Clearwell Caves. Made using iron oxide pigment, also from Clearwell Caves. Go on, guess where I have been! Oil on gesso, 16cm x 12cm.

#187 Mushroom

This rather dry, unappealing mushroom has been in the studio since day #182, I was going to use it to cut in half for the halfway day paintings but didn't. I painted it this morning when I got up because we are going away over the weekend and it was there and as I hadn't had much of my day yet! I will still be painting over the weekend and will find a way to post it here. Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#186 Dwarf French Bean

This dwarf french bean is just about the longest thing I could get away with, following the strict yet occaisionally flexible, 'Dan Young, Daily' rulebook. It's nice when you all know what I've had for my evening meal, well this time you know what I had a last night and I just fancied painting it today! Oil on gesso 16cm 12cm.

#185 Pencil Eraser

I do like an object that is completely out of context! This is one of those little rubbers (erasers) you get stuck to the end of pencils that usually either break off when you first use it, rip the paper when you first use it or leave a greasy mark when you first use it. This one broke off completely, I don't know when, I stumbled across it today whilst clearing up the front room. Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#184 Packing Materials

I have used a lot of these three items over the last 184 days, from left; packing tape, cardboard and bubble wrap. Today I have been to the post office to send off a big batch of paintings (I am afraid I got a little behind due to being stupendously busy). There was a lot of cut off bits of tape card and bubble all around so, I thought I would paint some of them for your veiwing pleasure. I am looking forward to the irony of packing this painting up to send out. Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#183 Half a Tomato

As promised, another object cut in half to celebrate the mid-way point in my painting endurance challenge. I have always been drawn to the red and green colour contrast more than any other so, fruit (and or veg) like this tomato always appeal to my colour eye with a green stem still attached, which is not easy when you are cutting it in half. Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#182 Half a Lemon

Well here we are, half way. I would like to say a hello and a thank you to everyone who has been following the project from the beginning, or from whenever you found it. I know it's a hard slog but please do stay with me over the next six months as I continue my painting challenge. I am thoroughly enjoying sharing my painterly endeavors with you all and am utterly amazed at how far around the world my little project has gone. I have sold paintings to Slovenia, America, China as well as up and down the United Kingdom. I also see people are following from Australia, Canada, South Africa, most of Europe to mention a few.

So, here is a painting of half a lemon to commemorate getting to the half way point. I will begin the second half of the project tomorrow by painting another object cut in half, but I am not sure what it is yet. Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#181 Bee

I have been pretty much surrounded by these little fellas for most of the day. Burrowing bees have decided to make their home underneath the area where I am building steps to the vegetable garden, so I tend to disturb them a little when I dig out the foundations. This one had died of natural causes over night! Oil on gesso 16cm x12cm click here to bid.

I getting very excited about tomorrow and Monday, not only because it is a glorious bank holiday weekend. It is alo the halfway point in my painting challenge. Half of 365 is actually 182.5 so I intend to celebrate the half way point by painting one half of an object on Sunday #182 and then paint the other half on Monday #183.

#180 Strap Hanger

This strap hanger, used on the back of larger pictures to hook onto heavy duty picture hooks really has nothing to fo with putting the degree show up this week because no-one chose to hang their pictures this way. Shame really as I have only just got to terms with using the stupid things! Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#179 Picture Hook

It was 110 days ago on day #69 when I painted a single nail picture hook that was taken out of the wall and encrusted with paint. This double nail brass plated picture hook (no3) was one i found in my box of things 'n' tools at work and thought it a perfect object for degree show week tool 'n' equipment series of paintings. Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#178 Mini Screwdriver

The next degree show hanging tool; this tiny screwdriver, perfect for opening tins of paint, shame I found it today really as we finished most of the painting on Monday. Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#177 Bradawl

Second in my week of degree show related objects is this bradawl. Otherwise known as a bodger, little pointy thing or wall stabber. I like the old wooden handle types best but I do admire the unnecessary over design of the handle on these modern ones. Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#176 Mirror Plate

We have started to hang the students degree show at the Fine Art Department at the University of Gloucestershire (plug). I had always intended to paint a mirror plate this week at some point and I found this one with pink paint on it this morning and pocketed it straight away for painting this evening. A mirror plate is a clever fixing for attaching paintings to the walls. We will be using an awful lot of them over the next few days as we fix lots of pictures to walls. Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#175 Jelly Cola

What better way to wash down all of that jelly fast food than a bottle of jelly cola? Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#174 Jelly Pizza

The detail that has gone into this is quite astoundingm there are mushrooms, olives, pepperoni, chillies as well as cheese on this jelly pizza. Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#173 Jelly Hot Dog

Many moons ago on day #27 of this project I painted a Jelly Burger. I thouroughly enjoyed the experience and hoped to find similar jelly replicas of popular foodstuff. I stumbled upon this beauty in a packet not only containing this hot dog and two packets of fizzy flavoured chips it also had the original jelly burgers. I am now wondering how many sweets are designed to look like other foods? Oil opn gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#172 Box of Matches

I got quite a thrill from the tension of painting a box of matches with oil paint, and having turpentine and white spirit all around me. Knowing that if I struck one of them I could combust my entire studio (well, start a full on fire at least). You will pleased to know I didn't succumb to my fire starting daydreams so, we can all look forward to painting #173 tomorrow! Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#171 Milano Salami

This is really funny, and I dont care if you believe me or not, but I honestly didn't realise how well this piece of milano salami follows on from the danish pastry and dutch house in my european object tour. I just saw it on the deli and knew I had to paint it, its nice when your mind does your work for you without any concious decision making! Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#170 Dutch House

Danish Pastry last night, Dutch house tonight, I wonder how long I can keep up a European tour through objects. This is one of a set of six little ceramic dutch houses we got from Amsterdam a few years ago. Oil on gesso 16cmn x 12cm.

#169 Cinnamon Pastry

A continuation of my Monday night cakes here is a mini cinnamon pastry. Packs of mini danish pastries are fantastic for this project. Normal size patries are just a little too big ooorr I just have to take more than one bite out of them....Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#168 Clay Pot

We went to the Malvern show today, marvelous weather, amazing flowers, spectacular displays, ridiculous garden tools and this, which has to be the tiniest pot ever, it is only 5cm high and 4cm wide at the top. Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

Now then, where is my 1.5cm trowel?

#167 Crouton

All of my window dressing training told me to paint three croutons as per the three blueberries. Although, I don't think I actually had any training but we were certainly told to make sure everything was parallel and usually in threes, sometimes fives but very very rarely. Also, avoid symmetry but aim for synergy, eurgh. Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

In case you wondered the black bits are pepper. Mmmm looks like I have started a bread theme here.

#166 Poppy Seed Roll

This the first appearance of bread during this project, this was a nice tasty poppy seed roll, unfortunately it is now stale as ..um stale bread. This is one of those paintings to be careful not to get carried away with the little poppy seed dots! Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#165 Tone Knob

After talking last night of things yellowing over time, with reference to the apple core, here is the tone knob for the neck pick up from my first ever electric guitar. It used to be bright shiny white but has now mellowed to this creamy yellow colour. It has always fallen off and was actually lost for a while. I thought I had fixed it but as I was playing it this evening and the darned thing fell off again. Pass me the araldyte! Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#164 Apple Core

I could have painted this all night, not because I was neccesarily enjoying it more than any other painting. It might be the first thing I have painted that started to change colour as soon I started to paint. The flesh just got more and more yellow so it was a bit like painting during a setting sun so I had to decide how yellow I wanted it and stop. Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#163 Tealight

Tealights are so called (I have just found out) due to their use in tea and food warmers. I am sure you all knew that but its one of those objects that gets taken for granted with no second thought given to them or their name. I have always called them nightlights but they are used mostly in oil burners in our house. Aaaanyway, I painted one, here it is! Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#162 Penknife

This isn't just any penknife, this penknife has been with me since I was an Art student in the latter part of the last century. I have painted it with it's most important tool exposed, the corkscrew. Other tools include a natty little pair of scissors, a phillips screwdriver, a flat screwdriver with bottle opener thingy. I use it these days to open tins of paint and to sharpen pencils, oh and open bottles of wine! Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#161 Bonsai Trimming

I have been fascinated by bonsai trees for over a decade. I have had a few, and lost a few. Both grown from seed and grown ones from specialist bonsai nurseries, the deaths all hurt. This little clipping is from a sale bonsai (that actually has a good shape to it, post prune) from Homebase for a fiver that I got today! Bank holiday bargain. The tree now sits on my studio windowsill, where as you may have noticed, I go every day to paint these little pictures. So, I should be able to keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't dry out. Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.

#160 Half Eaten Chocolate Eclair

I think one of the biggest surprises for me during this project is just how much I enjoy painting (eating) cakes. I really feel like breaking out of the 16 x 12cm format so I can paint entire black forest gatuex and swiss rolls etc. We will see! Oil on gesso 16 cm x 12cm.

#159 Four Apricots

Following up the three blueberries from a couple of weeks ago I have painted four dried apricots. I also used to have these as part of my breakfast chopped up on top of branflakes or similar. Now, I am not at my best first thing in the morning so the task of chopping these up everyday (no, I didn't ever cut up a load and store them, this would have made them dry and stale!) proved too much and I stopped! Oil on gesso 16cm x 12cm.