Daniel Truscott

"I began to paint still life to improve my painting technique but soon tired of the traditional subject matter of flowers and vases. I saw the value in the genre as a method to improve my skill but found its subject matter boring. I needed to reinvent still life for myself to keep my interest alive and to make my paintings interesting for other people to look at, so I started to use old toys and retro condiment holders as my subject matter.

In arranging these objects I began to see stories emerging and began to create compositions that gave the impression of dialogue between the subjects, adding an element of narrative to otherwise straightforward still life painting. Most of the things I paint have a character of their own, dolls, salt and pepper shakers that you would find in your grandmothers house.

I began to take small liberties with my subject matter, realising that by very slightly changing the expression of a painted on face I could entirely change the mood or dialogue between the characters in the painting. Placing these objects in a pop art context I use the genre of still life as a leaving point to explore relationships, mythology and humour. A sense of humour is important for both creating and viewing my work".

Daniel Truscott, 2005