Good Art #15. Rigid Banquette Room.

Håkan Brunberg was a Finnish artist, whose work I discovered at Wäinö Aaltonen Museum of Art in Turku as part of the What a Party exhibition. His painting called Rigid Banquette Room, or in Finnish Jäykkäkabinetti, had me in stitches. I was besotted with it, taking every opportunity I could to look at it again and again. With charm in spades, it doesn't disappoint with repeat viewings. In fact, the entire What a Party exhibition was inspiring, centred around a fun theme. What a breathe of fresh air.

Good Art #13. Fighting Polar Bears.

French artist François-Auguste Biard painted extraordinary pictures when he was in Norway in 1839  as part of a scientific research expedition. His most arresting painting is Kamp med isbjorner (Fighting Polar Bears) depicting powerful polar bears in battle two men and a young boy. Eyes, both man and bear, burn with fury and fear, giving the painting a compelling sense of adventure. It's now six months since I saw it for the first time in Tromso, and I'm still astounded by its presence. It's all in the eyes.

Good Art #12. She Had Put In The Energy...

Belinda Johnstone paints epically detailed still-life: picture hooks, power points and taps are some of her domestic subjects of choice. Coupled with titles that ponder existence, longing, hope and love these paintings celebrate life at the coalface of daily existence. Take the full title of this painting: She had put in the energy knowing that one day she would be promoted to a higher position. Brilliant. If you're in Sydney on the afternoon of Sunday December 15, be sure to drop by Bondi Pavilion Art Studio to see Belinda's work.

Good Art #9. Tudor Towers.

Adam Norton makes great art. You may have seen his outlandish Tank Project, a City of Sydney commission for Live Lanes – By George! in 2008, which was a brazen work displaying Adam's trademark sense of humour. As much I enjoyed the Tank Project, Tudor Towers (above) is today's Good Art. Adam showed me this painting ten or more years ago in a Surry Hills studio, and I've never forgotten it. It's one of my favourite paintings. Traipsing London's streets these past few months I was reminded of its brilliance many times. I kept looking at London's tower blocks imagining how extraordinary they would be with Tudor facades. I've never thought of it before, but maybe Adam's work informed my interest in Mock Tudor. Regardless, this painting still charms me all these years on. When I earn some money, I'll put it on my must buy list.

Good Art #5. Vera.

Vera was found in a second hand shop near Newington Green. This painting is on the cusp of Good Art, and at a fiver was hard to pass by. Vera's presence is undeniable, at least in the flesh, with the painting displaying a masterful use of pearl paint. It's a fine, fine line.

Good Art #3. Bridge Party.

The characters in Beryl Cook's paintings celebrate daily life. Her sharply observed and highly amusing paintings represent scenes from her day-to-day life experiences in England, and to a lesser degree her travels abroad. Dance clubs and pubs, hen nights, gay bars, street life and restaurants are the focus, many visited with her fun-loving husband, are all endearingly portrayed. Influenced by the work of Stanley Spencer and Edward Burra, Beryl taught herself how to paint using oil and bits of board. With over 500 paintings made over a forty year career, I found it hard to choose one to show here. I've gone with Bridge Party from 1997, perhaps because it reminds me of the smoke-filled dining room my parents hosted poker parties in throughout the 1970s. Beryl's work hasn't been shown widely, though cutting edge Baltic in Newcastle showed her work in 2007. If you want to see Beryl's wry sense of humour at play, then Beryl Cook Prints is a good place to start.