Still life at Julian Ashton Art School

I arranged utensils from the art school kitchen for this still life in earth colours. It took ages to complete this exercise in tone to create three-dimensional realism. The painstaking technique contrasts with the spontaneous style of my landscapes and portraits during the same period. I have created only a few paintings in this genre since it has never appealed to me unless as an accessory, such as the table setting in The First Supper. I prefer the natural living world to man-made objects and the dead.

Of the many paintings I created at the Julian Ashton Art School, this is the only one to survive. The rest, including nudes and scenes of docks at Circular Quay from the school windows, were destroyed. To prevent Andy, my first husband from destroying this painting, I lent it to Joan Kinmont, and it has remained with her family ever since.