Why is there an apple in your bathroom? - Smerdon Toast episode 2
“why is there an apple. In your bathroom?” — Seabastion Toast
In episode 2 of the Smerdon Toast youtube/podcast channel, Toast and I discuss my painting of my bathroom, featuring an apple atop my bunnings off-the-shelf vanity.
Why did this bird artist, known for her elaborate, maximalist bird paintings, decide to paint her bording, 90s bunnings DIY bathroom?
Well, lately I’ve been exploring the idea of painting the mundane, the boring. I’m know for my bird wall art and bird art prints which depict beautiful plumage and stunning flowers. But is it easy to make a beautiful painting with already beautiful objects? How can I make something ordinary look beautiful? How can I make people stop and see a plain old object with new, interested eyes?
And that is why, in episode 2 of Smerdon Toast, I set out to paint my bathroom. The apple? Well the apple was there for a whole other reason. You see this painting was made post cyclone Alfred of 2025. The cyclone wobbled around, threatened to cause mass destruction but eventually didn’t really hit hard once it hit landfall. What it did bring thought was rain, lots and lots of rain. So our little regional town was inundated and the main roads in and out were cut off. Food trucks couldn't get into the shops and on top of that, the local supermarkets refrigerator system blew up. We had eaten through our rations in week 1, but week 2 was when we started eating our tinned food. And one apple was the only piece of fresh fruit I had to paint.
I had actually purchased the apple for our birds. So I, I thought I just quickly paint this before I cut them a slice.
I love that because one of life’s nicest moments is having a glass of wine in the shower. I don't drink anymore, but there's just something so nice about something being where it normally isn’t. Remember when we were younger, there used to be waterproof radios and you could bring in the shower with you and play music while you were showering. I remember the moment I first experienced that and it was magical. There was something so cool about a radio, an electrical device that usually can’t get wet, blasting tunes in this little glass cubicle while you shower.
So this painting is an ode to that feeling when something is in a place that it's not meant to be that is so enjoyable.
The painting is available to purchase:
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Smerdon Toast is a YouTube/podcast channel by Australian artists Anne Smerdon and Seabastion Toast. Each episode Toast and Smerdon challenge each other with a painting topic, to push their painting skills and artistic ability. Viewers/listeners are invited to join along each challenge as well. You can find the full channel list here.