Gum leaves in green jar - acrylic painting on loose canvas, A3

Still life acrylic painting by artist Kate Conrick, on loose canvas pad, A3. 

I am so drawn to the twigs and leaves and the gorgeous pinks and greys and greens and golds that I find on my walks, that it’s very common for me to later empty pockets of crumbled, forgotten leaves, or find them pressed inside my phone case. I’m a leaf hoarder - if a disorganised one. And so many of the colours of my pieces come directly from these, trying to capture the gorgeous bitten edges and red flushes of leaves. 

But part of me so often wants to try and paint The. Actual. Leaves. It’s a really different mode for me, and one that overall I’ve found doesn’t really give me what I need - but the temptation and the challenge are something I do indulge in once or twice a year. 

This piece is one of those, painted on an afternoon sitting chatting with a friend, with the leaves we’d collected that day on the table before us in one of Josh’s gorgeous vases. Those dried leaves still sit on the windowsill in our studio, keeping me company while I paint or throw pots ♥️

—-

These little pieces on loose canvas or paper are precious to me - for years they’ve been the pieces I casually gift to a friend and find again in their homes years later. They’re the pieces anyone can find a home for - whether they’re propped up on the dresser, tacked to the cork board or framed beautifully.

I’ve only recently started sharing these pieces for sale, after one friend told me that hers is a prize possession, and something everyone asks about when they visit her home. I wanted to make them something anyone can have - even if we aren’t friends yet ❤️ Enjoy this little piece of original art in your home, straight from the artists hands.