"Dark Kisses" (oil on linen; 4" x 5") sold

sold

Hershey's Kisses has got to be one of the greatest culinary inventions of all times.  These bite-sized pieces of chocolate, shaped like flat-bottomed teardrops and wrapped in shiny foils, have brought so much pleasure to kids of all ages.  You can pop several of these into mouth without going overboard with your dietary budget.  My favorite is, of course, Dark Chocolate Kisses, wrapped in royal violet.  How about you?

Another great virtue of Kisses is that they are fabulously paintable.  Put them on a colorful fabric, like passionate scarlet in my painting.  Crinkled foils start reflecting confetti bits of colors all over.  If you position the chocolates with flags strategically, they look like a couple of lovers!

"Chocolate Mousse Cup" (oil on linen; 5" x 4")

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After I was finished with the painting, I sat in front of it for a long time in deep satisfaction.  Perhaps it was the red raspberry dusted with confectioner's sugar; or, the yellow green ground.  Or, chocolate. Something about this little gem makes me very happy.

"Chocolate Strawberry" (oil on linen; 4" x 5") sold

sold

Now you are thinking: "Wait a minute, this is not a pastry painting."  True.  But isn't a chocolate-dipped strawberry the ultimate health food?  All the badness is gone; what's left is the pure goodness--fresh fruit and dark chocolate!

"Chocolate Strawberry" is the sixteenth of my February challenge paintings.  Only four more to go!  If you want to win a painting from my "Pastry Pleasure" series at the end of the month, please sign in to follow my blog.  Thanks!

"Chocolate Cheesecake" (oil on linen; 5" x 4") sold

sold

Ah, the most delicious chocolate cheesecake, topped with a swirl of clotted cream and a raspberry!  It's too much!

If you want to win a painting at the end of the month, please sign in to follow my blog. Thanks!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

"Mardi Gras Cupcake" (oil on linen; 7" x 5") sold

sold

What I learned from my February Challenge of "Pastry Pleasure" so far is that the best job in the world is the pastry chef.  I mean who is having more fun: the artist who painted this sassy cupcake or the pastry chef who designed it?

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HAPPY MARDI GRAS!

"Dark Kisses Confetti" (oil on linen; 5" x 4") sold

sold

Okay, you've seen my Kisses paintings and want to move on.  But I had to explore the theme further, at least one more time.  The little dots in the Kisses in "Love is in the Air" reminded me of the confetti thrown at weddings.  So I put the Kisses closer and formed a diamond shape between them.  I exaggerated the little shapes in the Kisses like confetti; the reddish pink ground has confetti-like brushstrokes all over too.  The Kisses are getting married!

"Love is in the Air" (oil, 4" x 5"; sold)

"Love is in the Air" (oil on linen; 4" x 5") sold

sold

I had so much fun painting Kisses yesterday that I decided to do another.  I chose a different Kisses with the paper strip standing kind of upright.  I put it in such a way that it still pointed toward the Dark one. Unlike "Dark Kisses," I pushed the ground toward pink.  I think there is a more color harmony in the second painting.  What do you think?

"Dark Kisses" (oil, 4" x 5")
sold

"Dark Kisses" (oil on linen; 4" x 5") sold

click here to buy a print

I bought two bags of Kisses while back, thinking that they would make a fabulous Valentine's paintings.  I finally got around to paint them before they disappeared.  When I told my husband what the title of this small painting was going to be, he said "naughty"!