The Orange Earring

oil on canvas panel - Öl auf Malplatte - huile sur carton entoilé
15 cm x 15 cm / 5,9" x 5,9"
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Instead of going more abstract, as I had intended to, the painting turned out more realistic! Guess I will have to try again sometime. I have a completely different picture of it in my head but getting that out onto the canvas seems difficult.

Listening

oil on canvas panel - Öl auf Malplatte - huile sur carton entoilé
15 cm x 15 cm / 5,9" x 5,9"
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Time for me to "move on"! We were invited for lunch yesterday by friends of ours who are not only wonderful people but who also have one of the most beautiful houses I have seen so far. Visiting these friends always seems like taking a holiday at a wellness farm or something like that - I feel so pampered and spoilt by them!
And at last I got some new inspiration which I was lacking desperately!
I took a few photos and plan to paint from them over the next days. Here's the first one of our host Barbara, which I might attempt a second time tomorrow because I actually envisioned it with slightly different colours and a bit more abstract. But I like this one too, so that's why I am posting it.

Sweets

oil on canvas panel - Öl auf Malplatte - huile sur carton entoilé
15 cm x 15 cm / 5,9" x 5,9"
sold - verkauft - vendu

When painting these sweets in front of my red tin the other day, I was intrigued by the gaudy colours and shiny cellophane they were wrapped in. So they are the stars in today's picture.

My Things, Red Tin

oil on canvas panel - Öl auf Malplatte - huile sur carton entoilé
15 cm x 15 cm / 5,9" x 5,9"
sold - verkauft - vendu

This used to be a tin for cough drops which were eaten a long, long time ago.
So I decided to combine it with some "modern" drops, wrapped in cellophane. I don't think they had cellophane in those days - it was invented in the thirties and this tin is probably older.

My Things, Bremke's Kaffeedose

oil on canvas panel - Öl auf Malplatte - huile sur carton entoilé
15 cm x 15 cm / 5,9" x 5,9"
sold - verkauft - vendu

This beautiful tin must be about 100 years old. When you look carefully you will see that at the top it has writing on it in the old former German style, which I can't even decript. If it didn't have the name written in the new style on the side I would not have known, that this coffee used to be produced by the company "Bremke".

My Things, Dutch Tin

oil on canvas panel - Öl auf Malplatte - huile sur carton entoilé
15 cm x 15 cm / 5,9" x 5,9"
Buy it here

This old tin is decorated with paintings of typical Dutch sceneries and was brought back from Amsterdam by my greatgrandmother at the end of the 19th century. I don't know what she used it for, but we keep our clothes brushes in it.

My Things, Tea Caddy

oil on canvas panel - Öl auf Malplatte - huile sur carton entoilé
15 cm x 15 cm / 5,9" x 5,9"
sold - verkauft - vendu

Another one of our tin collection, this time originally for tea, but nowadays used for samples of lotions, cremes and perfumes in my bathroom.

My Things, Vintage Ashtray

oil on canvas panel - Öl auf Malplatte - huile sur carton entoilé
15 cm x 15 cm / 5,9" x 5,9"
Buy it here

MY NEW BOOK is here!

We finally managed to get my second book completed and published! It presents a selection of my daily paintings from last year, 2009, and I am very proud of it!
At this occasion I would like to thank all of you who bought my first book and gave me so much feedback. Enjoy the second volume!

My Things, Pepper Shaker

oil on canvas panel - Öl auf Malplatte - huile sur carton entoilé
15 cm x 15 cm / 5,9" x 5,9"
Buy it here

I bought this pepper shaker in Ann Arbor, Michigan, years ago. It seems so American to me, reminiscent of the typical diner-style, which we find very "cool" here in Europe. It was the colour of course that attracted my attention in the first place and while painting it today, I enjoyed all the dfferent greens that I didn't expect to discover.
I would like to just excuse for not having answered or written any comments lately, but we are experiencing quite an usual cold here at the moment and unfortunately my computer is installed in the coldest room of the house. So I just manage to post my painting and write a few words before my hands and feet feel like ice cubes. As soon as it gets warmer again, I will get back to you all. Thank you very much, also in advance for your kind comments!

My Things, Sweet Valentine

oil on canvas panel - Öl auf Malplatte - huile sur carton entoilé
15 cm x 15 cm / 5,9" x 5,9"
Buy it here

This honey is produced fairly close to our home and already twice one of the bee colonies invaded our lime tree and didn't find back. It is fascinating and a bit frightening when you suddenly hear an incredible noise from outside and then discover the huge cluster of bees hanging in the tree! We had to make a fire in the open fireplace, inspite of the hot summer temperatures, in order to keep them from entering the house. Then the beekeeper had to come and get them back into his box (his beehive?), which is a spectacle of it's own.
Anyway, this is a pot of the delicious honey they produce with a sweet porcelaine spoon topped by an angel holding a heart - perfect for Valentine I thought.
Happy Valentine everybody! (At least for those who see it today, Sunday, Valentine's day, the day of love, the 14th of February...)

My Things, Antique Candlestick

oil on canvas panel - Öl auf Malplatte - huile sur carton entoilé
15 cm x 15 cm / 5,9" x 5,9"
Buy it here

My things are a mixture of old and new, antique and modern, expensive and worth hardly anything (more of that), sophisticated and kitshy - I like beautiful things, interesting things and funny things. Maybe that's why I also like to change my style of painting every so often.

My Things, Antique Sherry Glass

oil on canvas panel - Öl auf Malplatte - huile sur carton entoilé
15 cm x 15 cm / 5,9" x 5,9"
sold - verkauft - vendu

As you might have noticed, I am painting quite realistic at the moment, which on the whole isn't really my favorite style, but nevertheless I am thoroughly enjoying it.
So, be prepared for more realistic still lifes!
I got this glass at the local fleemarket together with a few others, which I might also paint one day.

My Things, Red Glass Earrings

oil on canvas panel - Öl auf Malplatte - huile sur carton entoilé
15 cm x 15 cm / 5,9" x 5,9"
sold - verkauft - vendu

They're made of glass by an Argentinian artist and I bought them from him in Barcelona years ago. I like that they look like little UFOs flying in the air - and of course I love the green!

My Things, Fancy Earrings

oil on canvas panel - Öl auf Malplatte - huile sur carton entoilé
15 cm x 15 cm / 5,9" x 5,9"
sold - verkauft - vendu

I am off to a girlfriend dinner in a moment and will be wearing these earrings...

My Things, Silver Drop Earrings

oil on canvas panel - Öl auf Malplatte - huile sur carton entoilé
15 cm x 15 cm / 5,9" x 5,9"
sold - verkauft - vendu

I hardly wear any jewellery and have only a few pieces that match nearly everything, like these earrings.

My Things, Perfume Bottle

oil on canvas panel - Öl auf Malplatte - huile sur carton entoilé
15 cm x 15 cm / 5,9" x 5,9"
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Isn't it beautiful?!
I am a fan of Jean Paul Gaultier.

My Things, Cossack Jacket

oil on canvas panel - Öl auf Malplatte - huile sur carton entoilé
15 cm x 15 cm / 5,9" x 5,9"
sold - verkauft - vendu

Another one of my little jackets, this one a bit more fancy. Looks great with jeans.