Painting Award for Peanuts and Gumballs

 

My painting, "Peanuts and Gumballs by K Henderson", was selected as part of the FAV15% (jury's favorite 15% of the entries) in the May 2025 BoldBrush Painting competition.

This painting is available for purchase

"rejoice " WIP 4

"Rejoice"  Work in Progress #4

 Finally got some studio time! One more day and I should be finished.

"Rejoice" Work in progress

                                                            " Rejoice", WIP # 3

Life keeps getting in my way and I seem to be making SLOW progress. But that's better than No Progress.

"Rejoice" Work in progress #2

                                                            "Rejoice" WIP #2

Getting the lettering blocked in. I need a smaller paint brush!
 

"Rejoice" Work In Progress

                                        "Rejoice", 8" x 10" oil on cradled board WIP

I have a collection of vintage Alphabet blocks. I've always enjoyed painting them but haven't done so in a long time. I've decide to do a Work in Progress on this painting. This is actually day two but not 2 full days of painting.
 

Strawberry Reflections

 

Strawberry Reflections, 30 x 30, oil on linen

I love Strawberry Season! These strawberries overflow the silver Strawberry Boat (formerly a Gravy Boat) onto a reflective surface so you twice the strawberry beauty.

Available

Strawberry Delight - Oil Painting

 

Strawberry Delight , oil on masonite, 11" x 14". 

This painting  shows strawberries in a cut glass dish, on a piece of battenburg lace.
For such a small painting, it was really a challenge.  I like painting glass and I really had to keep focused to get all the geometric shapes just right.

Coffee and Strawberries by K Henderson

 

 

Coffee and Strawberries,24" x 18" on canvas.

It's Strawberry season again! I love strawberries. I think they are the prettiest of all the fruits (until cherry season. Then they are the prettiest fruit)

The coffee pot is a 19th century family  heirloom which has been past down to me.  I chose this subject because I like painting reflections in silver.

Available

Reflections of a Chocolate Tart

 Reflections of a Chocolate Tart, 24 x 12, oil on cradled board

I wanted to do a simple painting and since I haven't painted Food in awhile I chose to set up this little chocolate still life.

The curved shape of the cherry stem really complemented the almost symmetrical shape of the chocolate tart.

Cherries and Blossom by K Henderson

Cherries and Blossoms, 9 x 12,oil on Masonite

 This is , obviously, an oil painting of a teacup with a beautiful flower filled with cherries. I love the dark fruit against the white china. I enjoyed painting the the doily with the lace.

Peanuts and Gumballs by K Henderson

 

 

Peanuts and Gumballs is 18" x 24" oil on canvas.

 

This is one of my most brightly colored and most ambitious paintings. I love the bright pink gumballs and the texture in the peanut shells.

Available

Licorice Allsorts by K Henderson

 

Licorice Allsorts, oil on cradled board, 16 x 20

I love licorice! Any kind, any where, any time. Allsorts is my favorite. Not only is it tasty but it's also beautiful. It's truly Eye Candy.

I enjoyed painting the glass lid. The abstract shapes of the reflections and highlights made it a real challenge.

Available

Foiled Again by K. Henderson

 

Foiled Again, 40 x 30, oil on linen

What can I say? This is a painting of stacked cookies and their reflection.

I love those windmill cookies, don't you? Yum!

Available

Plein Air Magazine

 

Cherry Turnover

 

Cherry Turnover, oil on canvas, 18 x 24 

I love to paint pastry. I love to eat pastry. A marriage made in heaven.

The flaky pastry and the red cherries provide the perfect contrast against the antique bone china and the linen napkin.

Available

Baked Goods by K. Henderson

 

 

Baked Goods, 24 x 30, oil on linen

I love this vintage Bakery box. And who doesn't love pastries?

It was hard to decide which kind of pastry to include since all pastry is wonderful. I decided on Berliners (bismarcks, jelly donuts, Pączki, what do you call them?) I also included a favorite knife and linen napkin.

Available

Cherry Cake

Cherry Cake, 9" x 12", oil on canvas

 

I love creating paintings with lost of different textures. The shine of the bone china, the rough cake and the fluffy whipped cream were all a joy to paint.



Available

 

A Big Delight

 

A Big Delight, 6 x 6, oil on cradled board

I'm fascinated by artists who paint on small canvases. Every once in a while I decide to give it a try.

I love Junk Food and Hostess Cupcakes, "A Big Delight in Every Bite", are something I indulge in on occasion. I love the shiny chocolate frosting with the white squiggles, the creamy center and the airy cake. The different textures in this snack food make it worth memorializing in a painting.

Chocolate Fund

 

Chocolate Fund, 24 x 18, oil on cradled board

While doing research on WWII propaganda posters I came across this poster for the American Chocolate Fund. I knew it HAD to be included in a painting.

The American Chocolate fund's goal was to send 1000 pounds of chocolate EACH WEEK(!) to the American Expeditionary Forces in France. Wow!

This Trompe L'oeil includes the poster along with a Hershey's Chocolate Bar in a World War II era wrapper.

Kodak by K Henderson

 

Kodak, 20 x 20, oil on linen

My father was an enthusiastic amateur photographer starting his hobby back when he was a kid. I have many of his camera. These vintage cameras are a work of art on their own and I can't believe I've never used one in a painting.

Grand Adventure by K Henderson

 

Grand Adventure, 36 x 36, oil on linen

This painting composition created itself. I have been wanting to use some of my vintage suitcases in a painting for quite some time but couldn't get excited about any of the ideas I was coming up with.

I had these three cases stacked on a table and one morning I just happen to glance at them while the sun was coming up and shining through the window. The sun created the perfect light and dark contrast, the background looked to be a dark sienna. I grabbed my camera and quickly took several reference photos.

Detail

Available

Beau Brummel by K. Henderson

Beau Brummel, 18 x 24, oil on linen

 George Bryan "Beau" Brummell (7 June 1778 – 30 March 1840)was an important figure in Regency England, and for many years he was the arbiter of British men's fashion.
 His name is still associated with style and good looks.

Available

Glass and Cigars by K Henderson

 

Glass and Cigars, oil on cradled board, 12 x 24

I'm in the process of de-cluttering my studio. And that includes finishing a few paintings that I began painting a LONG time ago.

My hangup on finishing this was the cut glass. I finally just had to tell myself to quit trying to make sense of it all the and just "paint what you see".

Contact me if you would like to add this painting to your collection.

Rainbow Coke by K Henderson

 

Rainbow Coke, 12 x 9, oil on canvas

I painted this vintage coke bottle so it would reflect the ambient colors of its surroundings.

Available

Singer by K Henderson

The Singer, 10 x 8, oil on board

This is the second of three in my Music themed Vintage Card trompe l'oeil paintings.

My Contemporary Realism still life paintings tend to be complicated with lots of 'stuff' in them. With these vintage card paintings, my goal is to keep them simple and add nothing outside the card. I broke my rule by adding a scrap of sheet music.
Available

 

World Book Day

 

Buck Rogers Books, 36 x 30, oil on cradled board

I love books. I collect books. I have lots of books. Oddly enough, I rarely have books in my paintings.

As a first step in remedying the situation I gathered up my Buck Rogers Big Little Books for this painting.

Buck Rogers first appeared in Phil Nowlan's science fiction tale titled Armageddon—2419, published in Amazing Stories in August of 1928. The Big Little Books were published between 1933 - 1943.

Sorry, This painting has SOLD

Cherry Splash by K Henderson

 

Cherry Splash, 30 x 40, oil on linen

This is another in my Cocktail series. I wanted to paint a red cocktail with cherries and this is the results.
Available

Pianist by K. Henderson

The Pianist, 10 x 8, oil on board

It's been a while since I've created a small painting based on a Vintage Game Card.  This card is from a game called Who's the Thief?

I like to paint these cards in groups of 3 with a similar theme. This is the third card in my Music trilogy. The other two are Tutor and The Singer

Available

 

Martini by K Henderson

 

Martini, oil on cradled board, 24 x 18

I've painted cocktail glasses several times in my still lifes but this is the first time I've actually painted a cocktail. And it won't be the last.

I love painting the light on the glass and liquid. Most of all I like the way the olives are distorted when viewed though the glass
Available

Strawberry Shortcake by KHenderson

 

Strawberry Shortcake, 36 x 36, oil on linen

This is one of my Annual Strawberry Painting.

I must say that the strawberries were the easiest part of the painting to complete. The whipped cream with all its ebb and flow and the biscuit with  its nooks and crannies were time consuming to get Just Right. 


Available

Butch the Pup by K henderson

 

Butch the Pup, 20 x 24, oil on cradled board

As my Faithful Followers know, I collect Vintage Toys. Included in this collection is about 50 Fisher Price pull toys.

Butch the Pup was designed in 1952. In this painting, Butch stands at the ready on the mantel. Do toy dogs dream of dog biscuits?

Grape Jelly by K Henderson

 

Grape Jelly, 20 x 20, oil on linen

 

Biscuits with Grape Jelly. Yum! 

 

I love this little plate that I picked up at thrift store. I wish I had more of them

PB&J #2

 

PB&J #2, oil on linen, 24 x 36

In a recent survey when asked about Peanut Butter and Jelly preferences 36 % say strawberry jam is favorite (grape is 31%); favorite bread is white bread (54%); favorite type of peanut butter is smooth (56%) and a whopping 80 % like their PB & J with the crust left on the sandwich.

This painting reflects 3 out of 4 of the top choices. I'm fond of Apricot jam, wheat bread, Crunchy (!!!) and crust on. How about you?

Ice Cream Sundae by K Henderson

 

                                            Ice Cream Sundae, 24 x 18, oil on cradled board

I love Ice Cream! Who doesn't? And what could be better than a large helping of vanilla ice cream topped with sweet strawberries? 

This painting will look great hanging on your wall!

Available

Wonderful Cat by K Henderson

 

Wonderful Cat, 18 x 24, oil on cradled board

I came across this Felix the Cat Crayon Box  while engaged in my never ending search for vintage toys. The colors of the box and the pencils screamed out "Paint Me!" so I did. I don't know if any of the pencils are original to the box but I don't really care.

This Trompe  L'oeil shows a box of colored pencils manufactured by the American Lead Pencil Company. These were called School Crayon Boxes although these are obviously pencils. Felix the Cat is painting up a storm!

By the way, Felix is one old cat! He first appeared around 1919 and is still going strong!

Jolly Jumper Vintage Toy by K Henderson

 

Jolly Jumper, 9 x 12, oil on cradled board

I think everyone likes toys at Christmas time. Some of us like toys all the time.

Jolly Jumper is a Fisher-Price pull toy made in 1954. In this painting he is sitting on a colorful game board from the game Frantic Frogs.

Buck Rogers Crayon Ship by K henderson

 

 

Buck Rogers Crayon Ship, 24 x 18, oil on cradled board

I enjoyed painting my Felix the Cat pencil box so much that I went looking for more pencil boxes. Buck Rogers Crayon Ship caught my eye because of the bright colors and, well, it's really cool!

I'll be creating another painting using this box because it has great graphics on the back, too. The 'chalk drawings' (yes, these are painted with oil paint) are also based on the graphics from this box.

Available

Space - O~Oil Painting by K Henderson

 

Space - O, oil on linen, 30 x 24

Here's another painting of a Vintage 'School Crayon' box.  The boy and girl are in a Flying Saucer against a red background. These space age artists have done a great job coloring inside the lines (mostly) Available

Felix Paints En Plein Air by K Henderson

 

Felix Paints En Plein Air, 18 x 24, oil on cradled board

This vintage box of colored pencils makes me smile. It shows Felix the Wonderful Cat feverishly painting En Plein Air.

In this painting the box of pencils is surrounded by coloring book images that any cat would love : a cat friend, a mouse and and fish

Available

Love Me Tender~Oil Painting by K Henderson

Love Me Tender, 16 x 20, oil on cradled board

Who doesn't love Elvis? Those dark good looks, those swivel hips, that lip curl! Oh yeah and the singing. *swoon*

And those Conversation  Hearts say it all. Did you know that these heart candies have been around since 1866? 

Available

 

Tooty Tutor by K Henderson

Tutor, 10 x 8, oil on canvas

Music. That is my current theme for my Vintage Card trompe l'oeil oil paintings.

First up is Tooty Tutor. He is from an Old Maid card game
Available

 

Little Feather by K Henderson

Little Feather, 8 x 10, oil on board

I haven't created one of my Vintage Playing Card paintings in a while and when I found this "Little Feather" character I knew he would be perfect for a Cowboy and Indian painting. Dastardly Bad Bill Bunion is a good counterpart for the young brave.

Available

 

The Dentist by K Henderson

The Dentist, oil on board, 10 x 8

Welcome to my Vintage Card Game Series of paintings. These are small, fun trompe l'oeil oil paintings of  cards from vintage games.

My first offering is The Dentist from the 1938 game 'Who is the Thief'.

Note: No vintage card was harmed in the making of this painting. I scan my cards and print them on card stock. I them take the print and rip, smudge, stomp and tape to give them the Character that I want.
Available

 

And Your Little Dog, Too! By K. Henderson

And Your Little Dog, Too, 28 x 22,  oil on linen

I don't know about the weather where you live but we are expecting the usual spring winds:  50 mph this week. 

Time to watch The Wizard of Oz again.

 
The title of the painting comes from the line in the Wizard of Oz "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!" spoken by the Wicked Witch of the West.

Shining Star by K Henderson

Shining Star, 10 x 8, oil on Board

This is the first in my most recent Old Maid Cards trilogy. The theme of these three is Cowboys and Indians.

Available

 

Cowgirl Clarabelle by K Henderson

 

CowGirl Clarabelle, 10 x 8, oil on board

This is the third painting  in my most recent Old Maid Cards trilogy. The theme of these three is Cowboys and Indians.

Available

Corny Cowboy by K Henderson

Corny Cowboy, 10 x 8, oil on board

 

This is the second  in my most recent Old Maid Cards trilogy. The theme of these three is Cowboys and Indians.
Available

 

Flight by K Henderson

Flight , 10 x 8, oil on board

 

This Trompe L'Oeil painting is from My Old Maid Series

Available

 

Coca Cola Cowboy by K Henderson

Coca Cola Cowboy, 30 x 30, oil on linen

With that title, of course it has to have a Coke Bottle in the painting. I've had this bottle for some time now and finally got to use it in a painting. Wow! Definitely more complicated than I expected but I'll be painting it again.   

Available