Copper and bronze are always a challenge. The finest painter of copper, I think, was the Frenchman Chardin, whose paintings are really symphonies of atmosphere and detail.
Here are some of my own works. The mortar and pestle is my first painting of an item in bronze; the painting of the four measures is one of my earliest at painting copper. The copper cooking pan is a testimony to the saying of Vincent van Gogh that a painting that turns out well is sometimes the result of a whole series of failed attempts.
"Copper cooking pan"
Oil on canvas, 2008 - 40 cm x 30 cm
This pan is one of a set of hauntingly beautiful, entirely hand-made cooking pots, that Robert and I bought on our honeymoon in a small artisan's workshop in Florence. We cooked often with it - when we still had a gas cooker - and it has nicely worn with use.
"Mortar & Pestle on Slate"
Oil on canvas, 2008
40 cm x 40 cm, simple black shadow frame.
One of my earlier works, this heavy cast bronze mortar and pestle was a great challenge to get right. The top is expressively moulded with a gentle slope on the inside and a marked angle outside. The slate slab I painted from memory: these were the slabs in the wine cellar of our house in Scotland.
"Four Measures on a slab of stone"
Oil on canvas, 2008
40 cm x 50 cm
These old measures are red copper outside, with yellow copper handles and tin linings. They are in metric sizes with the largest indicating a volume of 1 litre. I bought them an a fair in the Netherlands.
The picture frame was a lucky find, with a reddish glow outside, fading to silver on the inside. It appears as if it had been custom made for the painting, whereas, in fact, I painted to match the frame.
