Things - Still life oil paintings by Ruby Read
“Things” is a collection of still life oil paintings by Ruby Read that finds quiet meaning in the everyday. Centring on small, often overlooked objects such as sliced fruit, toys, knick knacks, and retro telephones, the series elevates domestic ephemera into something contemplative, intimate, and painterly.
Executed in Ruby’s richly textured oil technique, each painting transforms the mundane into the memorable. These are not traditional still lifes, but studies in nostalgia and narrative. Toys, trinkets, and personal curios are often arranged on shelves with a theatrical sense of balance and symbolism. The works entitled “On Display” and "Shelf Portrait" both present a personal cabinet of collected memories- a nod to the way our environments quietly record who we are.
Ruby composes her subjects with a sense of playful curation, treating each object as a fragment of character, history, or emotion. The paintings speak to the rituals of everyday life, and to the strange power objects hold over memory and identity.
Still life with a story
While the subject matter may be familiar- a plate of sliced fruit, a vintage telephone- Ruby’s approach to still life painting avoids the decorative in favour of the evocative. Each work is layered, textured, and emotionally charged, inviting viewers to linger on details they might otherwise pass by.
There’s a subtle undercurrent of the past in these works. With their vintage tones and carefully chosen motifs, the paintings often feel suspended in time. Whether depicting a tin toy or an unlabelled cassette tape, they hint at stories untold; fragments of lives lived, remembered, or imagined.
Collecting the series
Original oil paintings from the “Things” series are available to purchase directly online. Each work is a one of a kind still life, painted in oil on canvas or board. If you're looking to buy original art that celebrates everyday beauty with texture, wit, and emotion, these still life compositions offer a thoughtful and enduring choice.
To view available works, please email ruby@rubyread.art with any enquiries.
