These last few months I have developed a passion for sketching still life studies in pastel. It started as a way to use up offcuts of Pastelmat paper, and has developed into a whole new body of work which I am really excited about.
Painting small artworks
There is a particular joy that comes from working small. I love that these studies are faster to complete than my usual portraits. Plus the scale adds a certain charm as well as bringing a unique set of challenges when sketching.
I have decided that to keep these looser, I will only use pastel sticks/blocks and not use pastel pencils. If I were to employ a pencil I could work with more precision, but this would also reduce the looseness in my mark making.
As you can see from these images, the artworks are only a matter of inches across. And they are intentionally realistic without complete precision.
Still life subjects
The majority of the subjects I have sketched in this range are fruits, with the addition of a particularly handsome red onion, some shells, and a couple of conkers. I am fascinated by how the details of life too often pass us by.
This is always a theme in my portraiture – what are the details that make us us? And so it is a natural extension to look for the individuality in the everyday items around me.
I love how the mundane becomes fascinating, beautiful or simply is appreciated more when we stop and really look. Art is one such way to encourage this. Both for myself as the artist and for the viewer who encounters my work.
A growing series of still life studies
As of writing this in the Spring of 2026, there are over 20 artworks in this range, and I have plans for many more. I have created an album on Facebook where I am collecting these studies, as well as sharing them on Instagram as they are drawn.
I will in time create a new gallery here on my website which will be a permanent home to my sketches. I am yet to decide if I will separate still life studies from my en plein air work. So this online gallery addition will come when I am sure of how I want to present it all.
See the original artworks at Cornwall Open Studios in May
I am developing this range with a view to a whole new gallery wall display for Cornwall Open Studios 2026. This will be my second year participating and I am excited to be bringing something new for my visitors. I will write more about all things COS in another Sketchbook blog post soon.
The five fruit studies you see in the first image here are all sold to one collector. She has generously suggested that they remain with me so I can display them at Cornwall Open Studios, after which they will hang as a collection in her kitchen.
There are more pastel still life originals available, including this clementine and the Sea Snail shell. So come and see me in my studio here on the South coast of Cornwall in May and choose which you would like to take home with you.
I am also accepting commissions for still life studies. Get in touch to discuss any ideas you may have, from a theme for your home to memorialising objects that have a special meaning to you.
