Sardines on Orange by Alice Straker

Alice Straker stacks a row of silvery sardines against an electric orange background in a composition that is equal parts still life and graphic design. The contrast is immediate and deliberate — cool metallic fish against warm, saturated ground — and the handling is rich: thick, confident brushwork that builds texture and gives the image a joyful, almost edible physicality. It is painting that celebrates the pleasure of looking at ordinary things made extraordinary through colour, craft, and a clear sense of fun.

On canvas print, the woven cotton surface amplifies the textural quality of Straker's thick-paint technique — the weave adds a layer of physical depth that echoes the impasto character of the original work, printed with museum-grade precision in our Berlin studio.