"Easter Eggnest Cupcake" (oil on linen; 5" x 4") sold

sold

An Easter egg nest made of coconut flakes and jelly beans, then piled on top of an frosted cupcake. That's what I call an ideal Easter treat!

Sweet Tooth Collage (oil)

 click here to buy a print

Do you remember these "sweet" paintings I did for my Pastry Pleasure" series in February?  They are back!  I used iPiccy.com site to create a much bigger file for large prints.  You can order a print as large as 36 x 36"!

This is it for now.  I am going to take a well-earned break for a week.  Do you know that I have been blogging every single day since January 14th!  When I come back, I will share the collage of my "Spring Fever" paintings and announce which painting I am going to give away.  Stay tuned!

Collage of My February Paintings

Collage of my "Pastry Pleasure" paintings

Wow!  What a delicious-looking collage!  Please tell me which painting is your favorite.

I tend to jump around in my choice of subject matters from day to day to stave off boredom and stay excited.  It has been a great learning experience to work on the "Pastry Pleasure" series.  Around the 12th painting, I felt bloated with pastry and seriously considered ending the series sooner, but thought better of it just to see if I could handle the "pastry fatigue."  I am glad that I saw it through.

I did learn a lesson or two from my first monthly challenge.  Having a theme for a month turned out to be one of the smartest ideas I have ever come up with.  By sticking to a theme, I really got to explore the subject in depth.  For one thing, you wouldn't believe how much I learned about painting texture, from powered sugar to chocolate glaze!  The results of my explorations are impressive too.  Even if some paintings are stronger than others, or vice versa, doesn't the whole collection look fabulous?

Twenty is, however, a lot of paintings!  From now on, I am going to limit myself to 16, or 12, or 9 paintings for my monthly challenge series, depending on how much time or material I have available during the month.  Staying focused is one thing; getting burned out is another!

I hope you enjoyed the ride.  Tomorrow I am going to announce the painting to be given away.  If you want to win a painting, please sign in to follow my blog.  Thanks!

"Bird's Nest" (oil on linen; 5" x 4") sold

sold

This is a cupcake for which resistance is futile.  One has to surrender to the bird's nest made of pale pink coconut shavings sitting on top of clouds of icing.  Did I mention jelly bean eggs?  The moment my husband saw the cupcake, he said: "It's mine."  He mumbled something about its richness, but didn't leave a crumb.  I guess he could handle it.

"Bird's Nest is the 19th in my February challenge paintings.  ONE 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!

"Pot of Gold" (oil on linen; 5" x 4") sold

sold

It is generally acknowledged that you cannot buy happiness with money.  I insist, however, that it is quite possible to purchase an intense satisfaction with less than five dollars at a pastry shop.  Look at this adorable chocolate cupcake with green icing and cookie crumbs.  It is bearing a chocolate pot of golden sugar!  I was happier than I would have been if I had found a leprechaun with a pot of gold.  You know, you cannot eat a pot or, for that matter, gold!

"Pot of Gold" is the eighteenth in my February Challenge paintings.  Only two 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 Caramel Cupcake" (oil on linen; 5" x 4") sold

sold

Reference photo

The other day my husband and I had a hot date at a local joint called "Rock Bottom Restaurant Brewery."  After dinner, I ordered this delicious-looking dessert and, of course, I wanted to paint it.  The original picture  taken with my phone had a black shadow, but no matter. Thank god for Photoshop.  Thus was born "Chocolate Caramel Cake."

Cream cheese icing was delicious.  But what really made the cupcake visually appealing was the sauces.  Today's forecast is partly caramel sauce and partly fudge sauce!

"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?

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

HAPPY MARDI GRAS!

"Pink Cupcake" (oil on linen; 5" x 4")

click here to buy

As always is the case with the second painting of a series, this painting of a cupcake with pink icing went faster than the one I did yesterday.  Doesn't it look looser and yummier?

"Pink Icing" (oil, 5" x 4") sold

"Pink Icing" (oil on linen; 5" x 4") sold

sold

I don't usually paint as small as 4 x 5", but as I had so much fun painting Kisses, I decided to do a series of small food paintings.  The cupcake with pink icing is my second subject.  I bought a package of six cupcakes--three with pink icing, the other three with blue icing.  Somehow the blue ones didn't grab me, so I kept the pink cupcakes to paint and allowed my family to eat the rest right away.  There is something about the pink color which brings out the little girls in many of us.  It makes us happy!

The moment I started painting, I knew I set myself up for a challenge.  It was a lot harder to paint the icing or  the grooves in the paper than the foil wrap or the paper strips of the Kisses.  But who said that painting was all fun and games?  It took almost two hours to finish this small painting!  I am going to work on one more of the same subject, this time with sprinkles.