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

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Somedays I feel like painting these little pastry things. I guess they cheer me up without increasing my waistline! This pastry stuffed with clotted cream and a strawberry is French. Oh la la!
 

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

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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!

"Sprinkled" (oil on linen; 4" x 5") sold

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Speaking of donuts, the chocolate-glazed donut with sprinkles is my daughter's favorite.  I consider it the most festive donut in the world.  Just put it on an any happy-colored plate.  It's a party time!

"Double Boston Cream" (oil on linen; 7" x 7") sold

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Boston Cream is my favorite donut.  The trouble is that one donut is not enough.  Two gets to be too much, but on the principle of not wasting food, I end up finishing the second donut as well.  Life is tough, don't you agree?

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!

"Layered Bliss" (oil on linen; 7" x 5") sold

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I did it!  I set out to do 20 small pastry paintings and went all the way to the finish.  I have to admit that I thought about ending the series at 16.  I didn't realize how many were twenty!  Since I have started painting "sweet" paintings since late January, I have actually created 26 of these little ones!

I wanted to do something special for the grand finale, so I bought a three-layered vanilla cake with chocolate buttercream icing from my favorite pastry shop.  The maraschino cherry atop a white rose icing is like an exclamation point!  I threw a party and ate the delicious cake with friends, as good things in life are even better when shared with loved ones.

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

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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

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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 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.

"Ten Happy Donut Holes" (oil on linen; 5" x 4") sold

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Okay, technically speaking, donut holes are inanimate objects, therefore, incapable of emotions such as happiness.  Happiness was felt by the person who ate them, i.e., my husband, and the other person who painted them, i.e., myself.  I hope that you also experience the same euphoria while looking at the painting of donut holes covered with cinnamon sugar and ready to be dipped in caramel sauce.

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

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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!

"Cherry Brownie" (oil on linen; 4" x 5") sold

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A maraschino cherry cradled in a dollop of whipped cream on top of a homemade brownie.  This is a sweet offering from my kitchen and studio.  I have never eaten a brownie this way, but it was delicious!

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

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This is my daughter's favorite donut.  Technically, it is a sprinkled and chocolate-glazed donut, but hey, that's a very long title!

If you want to win a painting from my "Pastry Pleasure" series, please sign in to follow my blog.  Thanks!

"Heart Jelly Donut" (oil on linen; 4" x 5") sold

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I bought this heart-shaped jelly donut on the day before the Valentine's Day at Dunkin' Donuts.  When my husband saw it, his reaction was: "Hey, it's smaller than the usual round donut. I now have to eat three of these, not two!"

If you want to win a painting from my "Pastry Pleasure" series, please sign in to follow my blog. Thanks!

"Fruit Tartlet" (oil on linen; 4" x 5") sold

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I have become a connoisseur of pastry.  I haunt bakeries these days. I've noticed that there are many styles of fruit tarts, but they all seem to feature strawberries and blueberries, I guess, for their punchy colors. The fruits are often glazed with a gooey transparent glaze for protection.  Yum....

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

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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

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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!

"Two Hearts" (oil on linen; 5: x 7") sold

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When even the cookies are in love, you know we are very close to the Valentine's Day! I first painted the ground in lavender, but it didn't tell the story loud enough. So I changed the color to pink!

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

"Sexy Donut" (oil on linen; 4" x 5") sold

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Can you resist this sexy donut?  I couldn't.

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