still-life paintings
The best still-life paintings make you look twice at things you’d normally walk straight past — a jar, a flower, a piece of fruit — because of how the light falls across them. That’s the quiet appeal of the genre: it doesn’t need a dramatic subject to earn a second glance, just a controlled composition and a painter who knows exactly how to handle light and shadow. It’s why still-life has stayed such a reliable, versatile choice for interiors that want something considered rather than loud.
Read moreShowing all 16 resultsSorted by price: low to high
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Knife Edge – 95x65cm (SOLD)
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Magenta Phalaenopsis – 60x60cm
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White Phalaenopsis – 60x60cm
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Ginger Jar Refraction (SOLD)
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Sale!
EMERGENCY POINT – 80x80cm
Original price was: $ 4,500.$ 3,400Current price is: $ 3,400. -
Sale!
Steel Tape – 80x80cm
Original price was: $ 4,500.$ 3,400Current price is: $ 3,400. -
Sale!
Light Arrangement – 137x107cm
Original price was: $ 6,880.$ 6,250Current price is: $ 6,250. -
Teapot on Green (Family Silver) – 153x103cm
$ 6,650 -
Turquoise Ginger Jar and Blossom – 60x60cm
$ 6,990 -
Green Apple, Quartered – 70x70cm
$ 7,890 -
Red Onions and Artichoke – 70x70cm
$ 7,890 -
Jasmine and Jugs – 70x70cm
$ 7,890 -
Clivea and Jugs – 70x70cm
$ 7,890 -
Clivea and Jasmine – 70x70cm
$ 7,890 -
Drifting with the Clouds – 182x122cm
$ 8,500 -
Towards the Light – 182x122cm
$ 8,500
Featured still-life painters
This collection is led by Alison Mitchell, whose oil paintings return to a recurring set of subjects: orchids and clivea blooms, fruit and vegetables (onions, artichokes, green apples), and domestic objects like ginger jars, rendered with careful attention to light and reflective surfaces. A three-time Portia Geach finalist, she paints solely from life.
Marisha Matthews paints light passing through and bouncing off things at a much larger scale: polished family silver, glass and native flowers in lush oils, including her "Family Silver" series drawn from a family heritage in British India.
Steve Harris is a self-taught master of understated realism whose still lifes, built around everyday and discarded objects, have been described as "meditations in light".
Magenta Phalaenopsis - 60x60cm — more by Alison Mitchell →
Clivea and Jasmine - 70x70cm — more by Alison Mitchell →
Sizes range from 46x61cm studies to large statement pieces over 150cm, with prices from around $4,650.
SOHO Galleries has been Sydney's home for original Australian art for over 35 years, with delivery and installation available nationwide. See still life alongside landscape, abstract and figurative work in our contemporary Australian art collection.
If you're interested in any still-life painting, contact us today.
Still-life painting FAQ
Why are still-life paintings a popular choice for interiors? Their contained, controlled compositions work well in kitchens, dining rooms and smaller wall spaces where a large-scale piece wouldn't fit.
What size still-life works best above a sideboard or mantle? Pieces around 60x60cm to 76x92cm are the most versatile for these spots — large enough to register as a statement without overwhelming the space.
Are these paintings part of a series? Several works are grouped in named series, such as Marisha Matthews' "Family Silver" pieces — ask us if you'd like to see companion works to a specific painting.