vanessa stockard

Food and Wine paintings

2011-04-11T18:52:00.000-07:00

All works are 30 x 30cm and are oil on canvas. Show opens on April 22nd at Artists Deli-artspace, downstairs at The Milk Factory, 31 Station Street, Bowral 2576.

Please come along to have drinks at 2pm Saturday April 30th.

the hand series

2011-03-30T18:01:00.000-07:00

2011-03-30T17:57:00.000-07:00

2011-03-30T17:55:00.000-07:00

The Arsonist

2011-03-30T17:49:00.000-07:00

Glazing and scraping back

2011-02-26T15:05:00.000-08:00

These paintings are all 300 x 300 mm and I am finding it interesting watching the same compositional elements slowly change. Currently I am having a lot of fun with glazes and scraping back layers which end up revealing a beautiful glossy surface with a lot of depth. I leave my focal points choppy with aggressive sharp paint. The contrast with surface here is intentional and in its experimental stage. Im really enjoying the process.

Something is happening here...

2011-02-26T14:45:00.000-08:00

Thursday Feburary 24th, 2011

2011-02-23T17:46:00.000-08:00

2011-02-15T20:57:00.000-08:00

February 2011

2011-02-11T18:16:00.000-08:00

Roses and Landscape Feb 2011

2011-02-11T17:59:00.000-08:00

Experimenting with varied mark making in each painting...I want the flowers to be bold, haphazard and fleshy.. heavy with paint ... while the background landscape should not be as vibrant but still with interest. I've built up a surface of glazes in the background and scraped back in places which makes it all very interesting to look at up close.

Still Life and Landscape continued

2011-02-11T17:13:00.000-08:00

The next few works will be a combination of flower still life with landscape backgrounds. This time I am working with brush and palette knife, working wet on wet layers. I am also experimenting with glazes...both transparent and semi opaque depending on what effect I am trying to achieve.

little blue bottle study

2010-09-24T23:27:00.000-07:00

This was the study for the larger painting. I never thought I would be the person to do a study first.. but sometimes you do learn eventually. A nice quick study gets your eye in, your colours right and then you are ready to bang out something larger. I like to take my time, really getting to know a subject before I tackle a huge painting. It's actually physically exhausting to recreate your large brushstrokes from small to big scale. I often just have to get my hands in there and make it happen... (Gloves of course...I'm not that into Chromium poisoning)

205 x 255mm, oil on canvas

Last Weekend in Goulburn

2010-09-24T15:47:00.000-07:00

This is my last weekend painting in Goulburn and I must say.. its really been a wonderful experience. I feel relaxed when I am away from the city...it just gives me time to breathe.. to remember that worrying about things makes you miserable. My show is all about taking time out to quietly observe the world around you...or what you choose to focus on. A painting of a flower might seem purely decorative...but you can put so much of yourself into it. There is a lot of information in the simple things in life that just get passed by...because..you have to do the washing, go to work....pick up the mail, pay bills, get dinner organised, be social etc. The series of paintings over the past year are all about making quiet time. Painting is a form of meditation for me and its just one of those things that keeps me just that little bit saner. To those that know me...refrain laughter.

The little blue bottle must be a hundred years old and was found in the ground when some new pipes were being laid down last week. Once forgotten and discarded, this beautiful little bottle was the perfect thing to put a sprig or two of flowering blossom. The landscape painting here is based on what i can see from the back porch.

Goulburn, September 2010

2010-09-22T01:14:00.000-07:00

...it's Spring!.. so many different varieties of the prunus group are flowering. Flowering Almond, Japanese Peach Blossom, Flowering Cherry....it just looks like a fairy floss environment. It's magical!...the bees are humming so loudly you can feel the vibrations. Of course the wattles are blossoming too. I'm pretty sure that my work over the past month has reflected a seriously positive turn. I'm just making the most of this feeling and sunshine while I can.

September 23, 2010

2010-09-22T01:04:00.000-07:00

Camelia Couplet, 2010

310x310mm oil on canvas

McNugget

2010-09-21T02:35:00.000-07:00

I needed a break and I just wanted to paint something for me. This painting is about a Bantam chicken I named McNugget and he was pretty determined to get away from me. He, alongside a whole bunch of others where running wild in one of the oldest buildings in Goulburn...an old brewery.

Sometimes things just arent finished

2010-09-21T02:12:00.000-07:00

The top painting just needed a little more work. the bottom painting is a study for my obsession for on the road paintings and visions. I'm always the passenger and I see art wherever I look. Roads are somewhat fascinating to me...the movement, the directions unknown, the mystery... this is subject matter is something I have been working on for a few years now and its just a matter of time before I take it on seriously. Its just simmering away...

work in progress...

2010-09-16T15:08:00.000-07:00

This painting will be the largest still life I have painted. Im not finished with it ....i really have to stand back a fair distance to actually see what I am doing. This is a detail of the painting.

September 18 2010

2010-09-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

Seaside Couplet, 305 x 305mm oil on canvas.

work 2010

2010-09-16T00:47:00.000-07:00

Being at this isolated farm with no iphone to steal my attention, I have had to contemplate a few things. Some ideas I've had a chance to try.. and watch fail...other paintings that I have had strict plans for...fall apart and they evolve best on their own. I'm not sure how much control you have over your work in the end. Sure you think you have these clear cut ideas and images that will absolutely come together..but put it into practise and it might have a slight resemblance to what it was you thought would happen. A lot like life...you have these glorified simplistic ideals and they just don't have a lot to do with reality. Last night I wrote down exactly what I was going to paint and how.....I couldn't even begin to do what I told myself to do.At that time I could have made it work...give it 12 hours... and I am in a completely different head space. Imagine anyone else telling me what to do....i mean ...good luck with that. Anyway, from what I can gather, the painting dictates you most of the time. It evolves strangely and you have to make it yours. Even if you put all the elements together in a still life, you choose your landscape etc.....it's still a challenge. Every time. Each year I expect to have more control of my work and I feel like I'm losing. I really think I need to just let go a little and just see what happens. The best work happens that way...its intuitive. I wish I could just remember that.

Flowers everywhere

2010-09-15T17:09:00.000-07:00

I love a posy of English Violets. They smell beautiful and I am always reminded of Manets Bouquet of Violets . I am influenced by Manets handling of paint; a simple dash of white in the right place can render an entire vase. Genius!

Another study of the cherry blossom in the farms garden. The whole tree is swarming with bees and its fragrance is sweet in the air. I'm just a little bit in love with that tree....

Spring show

2010-09-15T16:57:00.000-07:00

There will be a few 205 x 255mm studies in oil. Sumptuous, luscious and gutsy is what I am trying to achieve in each work.

The Farm, Roslyn

2010-09-15T00:47:00.000-07:00

Spring in Australia is the most fabulous season, the weather changes are dramatic, one minute its sunny and clear, the next, the winds have picked up and its freezing and rainy. The birds and flowers are intense and I must say art wise...its all pretty inspiring. I have had the great fortune to be able to stay at a homestead that dates back to the 1800s in Goulburn, NSW. The house is complete with a meat hanging room, ancient wool sheds and of course rain water tanks. Its still very cold at night and I insist on lighting the fire at around 4pm and it smoulders throughout the night while I'm passed out on the couch. usually. Morning is alerted by a cow mooing repeatedly outside my bedroom window. I'm fairly certain I have never felt so happy in my life. The biggest stress of the day involves getting out of bed in the cold and making a humongous pot of tea. Really. its just not that bad. Despite the ridiculous relaxation and the new hammock!.. I have little else to do other than paint for my show in October. I am very thankful to have the time and opportunity. Just so I remember.....the most inspirational parts of my day include... watching the willy wagtail chase the magpie and whistle to its chick who is now flying about. Watching the calves get giddy and playful around the creek. My massive pot of tea and pink biscuits. working with my hands on large canvas in the sun... putting the fire on and reading a book. having a beer at 5pm and feeling pretty happy with the world. I just wish it didn't have to end. I am most loathe to come back to civilisation. There is a lot to catch up with yourself when you are alone. So many ideas and thoughts that just get lost when you are busy working in the city. Like a writer...a painter needs a diary....but i cant even get myself to wear a watch....

Japonica and Nasturtiums

2010-09-05T19:49:00.000-07:00

Japonica and Nasturtiums in my grandmothers garden. Great colours to work with. I am staying at a ranch called Holmwood in Roslyn, NSW at the moment surrounded with cherry blossoms and plenty of Japonica as well. Am keen to start painting today. Who doesn't love Spring?

September 2010

2010-09-05T19:35:00.000-07:00

Camelias in Blue Vase, 300 x 420mm, oil on canvas

Quiesce in Rose, 205 x 255mm, oil on canvas

These current works will be part of my show in October at Charles Hewitt in Darlinghurst. This show will have elements of both still life painting and landscape.

September 1, 2010

2010-09-05T19:26:00.001-07:00

Spring and Camelias, 305 x 305mm, oil on canvas

The sculptural aspect and quality of these Camelia flowers have me intrigued. I am approaching them as if they were actually made from ceramic. Introducing some vibrant spring inspired colours into the background of some of my new work is something new as well.

Spring, 2010

2010-09-05T19:09:00.000-07:00

Peonys are one of my favourite flowers and right now the closest I can find to it are certain types of Camelias. Some variations come in a peony like formation with increased petal ridgidity. One example is the Camelia Sasanqua. The roses I choose to paint often share similarities with the peony.

pomegranates, 2010

2010-08-11T19:46:00.000-07:00

August 12, 2010

2010-08-11T19:14:00.000-07:00

having fun painting my new vase.

I have re visited this painting and thought I would like a version in oil.

lilac roses

2010-08-07T19:44:00.000-07:00

Goulburn Series

2010-08-07T19:30:00.000-07:00

2010-07-26T18:30:00.000-07:00

Rose Boquet, 460 x 460 mm, oil on canvas, 2010

more roses

2010-07-26T18:11:00.000-07:00

Rose trio and strawberries, 2010

2010-07-26T18:03:00.000-07:00

roses

2010-07-25T18:12:00.001-07:00

2010

2010-07-25T16:58:00.000-07:00

all in oil. 2010

HI

2010-07-02T20:50:00.000-07:00

Yes I know its been a really long time, I have broken 3 cameras during the interim and its time to blog some of my new work. There is a lot to put together!

study in Green

2010-01-26T20:17:00.000-08:00

Hawksnest, NSW, Australia

2010-01-26T20:04:00.001-08:00

oil on canvas, 255 x 205mm

Hawksnest, NSW, Australia

2010-01-26T20:01:00.001-08:00

pink cloud, wingham

2010-01-20T18:21:00.001-08:00

mixed media on canvas

back to Sydney, 2010

2010-01-20T18:16:00.000-08:00

wet day. Wingham 2010

2010-01-20T18:12:00.000-08:00

wet day, wingham, 30 x 30", oil on canvas, 2010

Sam, 2010

2010-01-05T18:40:00.000-08:00

2010 still life

2010-01-04T18:36:00.000-08:00

3 new works for a show this month at Charles Hewitt Gallery.

2010

2010-01-03T17:28:00.000-08:00

Wingham still life, 2010, 100 x 70 cm, mixed media on canvas

Wave Watching, Bronte, 2009

2009-03-29T18:44:00.000-07:00

Wave Watching, Bronte, 2009, 183 x 121cm, mixed media on canvas

here i wanted to capture the feeling of being in the ocean, instead of being above. I wanted a closer connection...more of an immersion in the elements.

Rain over Southern Sea's 2, 2009

2009-03-24T20:12:00.001-07:00

Rain over Southern Sea's, 2009, 127 x 92cm, mixed media on canvas

Rain over Southern Seas, 2009

2009-03-24T20:09:00.000-07:00

Rain over Southern Seas, 2009, 100 x 80cm, mixed media on canvas

The Tempest, 2009

2009-03-18T19:16:00.000-07:00

The Tempest, 2009, 100 x 75cm, mixed media on canvas.

the emphemeral alchemy of beauty and danger

The Tempest Study, 2009

2009-03-18T19:12:00.000-07:00

The Tempest Study, 2009, 50 x 40cm, mixed media on canvas

The beginning of a new series about how pointless it is being a control freak.

Grass Fire Study, 2009

2009-03-16T18:44:00.000-07:00

Grass Fire Study, 2009, 30 x 30 cm, mixed media on canvas

A close up study of the wild flickering heat, remembering a blady grass fire in Callaghans Creek, NSW.

Fire and the Rain Comes, 2009

2009-03-16T18:41:00.000-07:00

Fire and the Rain comes, 2009, 48 x 60cm, mixed media on canvas.

A painting revealing the the Australian weather. This is an amazing country and this painting is based on the Vicorian Bushfires earlier this year.

Crackling Firescape, 2009

2009-03-16T18:38:00.000-07:00

Crackling Firescape, 2009, 50 x 48cm, mixed media on canvas

another painting of a new body of work based on the fires in victoria earlier this year. To cature the movement, the light, the mood and the sound. There is endless material here.

Burn, Victoria, 2009

2009-03-16T18:35:00.000-07:00

Burn Victoria, 2009, 60 x 48cm, mixed media on canvas

Fire, devastation and renewal are part of the Australian landscape. I find all these stages beautiful, full of sorrow and hope.

Black Swan and Cygnets, 2009

2009-03-16T18:28:00.000-07:00

Black Swan and Cygents, 2009, 155 x 100cm, mixed media on canvas

I have always loved baby black swans, they have mesermised me for many years while I gazed into the waters of Centennial Park, Sydney. The mothers and fathers mate for life and are very protective of their young. Black swan cygents are the softest grey fluff I have ever seen.

Fire Study, 2009

2009-03-14T18:54:00.000-07:00

Fire Study, 2009, 30 x 30cm, mixed media on canvas

Fire, Victoria, 2009

2009-03-14T18:50:00.000-07:00

Fire Victoria, 2009, 150 x 100cm, mixed media on canvas

Red Browed Finch, 2009

2009-03-14T18:41:00.000-07:00

Red Browed Finch, 2009, mixed media on canvas

this painting has a very beautiful glossy black background than is reminiscent of Japaneses lacquer. The birds feathers are painted with a tiny fine brush to achieve great detail.

Sleeping Cygnet and study, 2009

2009-03-14T18:37:00.000-07:00

Sleeping Cygent (detail), 2009, 60 x 60 cm, mixed media on canvas

Cydnet miniature,2009, 30 x 10cm, mixed media on canvas

Firescape Blue Mountains, NSW

2009-03-14T18:35:00.000-07:00

Firescape Blue Mountains, 2004, 78 x 50", oil on canvas (SOLD)

Date Night, 2009

2009-03-14T18:33:00.000-07:00

Date Night, 2009, 100 x 80 cm, mixed media on canvas.

expensive night in!

Chinese Dog and Plate of Plums, 2008

2009-01-15T18:15:00.000-08:00

Chinese Dog and Plate of Plums, 2008, 60 x 50cm, mixed media on canvas. (sold)

Still Life with Chardonnay and Fruit, 2008

2008-12-26T20:19:00.000-08:00

Still Life with Chardonnay and Fruit, 2008, 100 x 100 cm, mixed media on canvas

Ginger Jar , Peaches and Grapes, 2008

2008-12-26T20:11:00.000-08:00

Studio set up

Ginger Jar, Peaches and Grapes, 2008, 80 x 100cm, mixed media on canvas

Gardenia and Nectarine, 2008

2008-12-26T20:03:00.000-08:00

Gardenia and Nectarine, 2008, 60 x 50cm, mixed media on canvas

Gardenias and Cherries, 2008

2008-12-26T19:59:00.000-08:00

Gardenias and Cherries, 2008, 100 x 80cm, mixed media on canvas.

Gardenia Study, 2008

2008-12-26T19:50:00.000-08:00

Gardenia Study, 2008, 25 x 20 cm, mixed media on canvas.

Virgin Mary Icon, 2008

2008-11-17T12:06:00.000-08:00

Inspiration taken from the incredible art display at Hearst Castle, San Simeon, California.

The castle was decorated heavily with icons, carvings, Gothic and Moorish architecture all of which would take a lifetime to appreciate. Here I am showcasing a steel frame that has been created by Alan King with my design.

Virgin Mary, 2008, 12 x 9" framed in steel, mixed media on gessoed board.

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Emily, CA, 2008

2008-11-13T14:49:00.000-08:00

Emily, CA, 2008, 12 x 9", watercolour on rag paper

stockardia@yahoo.com

first water colour portrait... im into it. mistakes are def not allowed in this medium however.

Mauve Roses, 2008

2008-11-13T11:18:00.001-08:00

Mauve Roses, 2008, 12 x 9", mixed media on gesso board
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Jack, 2008

2008-11-08T16:57:00.000-08:00

Jack, 2008, 40 x 40 cm, mixed media on canvas, sold

William, 2008

2008-11-08T16:54:00.000-08:00

William, 2008, 24 x 20", mixed media on canvas NFS

Artist Robin Young, 2008

2008-11-08T16:35:00.000-08:00

Robin Young, 2008, 100 x 75cm, mixed media on canvas

stockardia@yahoo.com

Kittens, 2008

2008-11-08T16:32:00.000-08:00

Cous Cous, 2008, 10 x 8", mixed media on canvas

Licy, 2008, 10 x 8" mixed media on canvas

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Camelia Duet in Antique Bottle, 2008

2008-11-08T16:29:00.000-08:00

Camelia Duet in Antique Bottle, 2008, 100 x 85cm, mixed media on canvas
stockardia@yahoo.com

Mrs Macquaries Chair, Botanic Gardens, Sydney, 2008

2008-11-08T16:25:00.000-08:00

Mrs Macquaries Chair, Botanic Gardens, Sydney, 2008, 100 x 100cm, mixed media on canvas
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Central Australian Studies, 2005

2008-11-08T16:21:00.000-08:00

top: Central Australia 1, 2005, 10 x 8", oil on canvas

Central Australia 2, 2005, 10 x 8" oil on canvas

stockardia@yahoo.com

naturally abstract lanscapes in our interior, its hard to beat.

Grass Fire, 8pm, 2008 (Callaghans Creek)

2008-11-07T15:15:00.000-08:00

Grass Fire, 8pm, Callaghans Creek, 2008, 100 x 85cm, mixed media on canvas
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Bladey Grass Fire, Callaghans Creek, 2008

2008-11-07T15:12:00.000-08:00

Bladey Grass Fire, Callaghans Creek, 2008, 100 x 75, mixed media on canvas
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Grass Fire, Callaghans Creek, NSW, 2008

2008-11-07T15:09:00.000-08:00

Grass Fire, Callaghans Creek, 2008, 100 x 85cm, mixed media on canvas
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Callaghans Creek with Poppies, 2008

2008-11-07T15:04:00.000-08:00

Callaghans Creek with Poppies, 2008, 100 x 75cm, mixed media on canvas.

Remembering Cedar Party Creek as a toddler, 2008

2008-11-07T14:55:00.000-08:00

Remembering Cedar Party Creek as a Toddler, 2008, 100 x 85 cm, mixed media on canvas
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Being away from Australia made me reminisce about the dry arid land, the dirt, the little flowering plants struggling to survive. I was close to the ground then and found it fascinating. This is a painting from memory, the land is so tough out there when it doesn't rain, barely anything can grow and the ants bite

Cedar Party Creek Study, 2008

2008-11-07T14:53:00.000-08:00

Cedar Party Creek Study, 2008, 10 x 8 inches, mixed media on canvas including resin

Brinbin, Yarrat State Forest, 2008

2008-11-07T14:48:00.000-08:00

Brinbin, Yarrat State Forest, NSW, 2008, 100 x 75 cm, mixed media on canvas

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Shelly Beach Rainforest, 2008

2008-09-17T16:55:00.001-07:00

Shelly Beach Rainforest, 2008, 90 x 50 cm, mixed media on canvas.
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Littoral Rainforest, Shelly Beach, NSW.

2008-09-14T17:44:00.000-07:00

Littoral Rainforest, Shelly Beach, NSW, 2008, 100 x 100 cm, synthetic polymer and resin on canvas.
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Littoral Rainforest Study, Shelly Beach, NSW.

2008-09-14T17:40:00.000-07:00

Littoral Rainforest Study, Shelly Beach, NSW, 2008, 60 x 50 cm, synthetic polymer and resin on canvas.
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Gallery Boquet, 1 & 2, 2008

2008-09-14T17:32:00.000-07:00

Gallery Boquet 1, 2008, 25 x 20 cm, synthetic polymer and resin on canvas.

Gallery Boquet 2, 2008, 25 x 20 cm, synthetic polymer and resin on canvas.

This subject was taken from Martin Browne Fine Art, on Macleay Steet, Sydney. A stunning floral arrangement set off the space which also contained a remarkable water feature. Here I experimented with technique and layering of mediums with two almost identical paintings.

Moet and 'Red Crystal', 2008

2008-09-14T17:26:00.000-07:00

Moet and 'Red Crystal', 2008, 60 x 45 cm, mixed media on canvas.
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Camelia x Reticulata, an enormous vibrantly-red flower!