"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!

"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")

click here to buy

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

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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!

"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!

"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!

"Be Mine" (oil on linen; 7" x 7") sold

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February is the month when I can indulge in my two afflictions--chocolate and pink.  When I found this adorable mini chocolate cake at the local Whole Foods store, my joy was unbounded.  My daughter, who is becoming more sophisticated by the day, wanted to eat the half of the heart with the rosebud!  So I ate the other half with "Be Mi."  The cake was as delicious as it looked. 

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

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A mini tart loaded with a fruit salad of strawberry, blueberries, grape, kiwi, and orange.  Which fruit is your favorite?  By the way, the dull sheen of the highlights was caused by the transparent glaze on the tart.  Yummy.

By the way, the name of this month's challenge is "Pastry Pleasure."  If you want to win a painting at the end of the month, please sign in to follow my blog.  Thanks!

"Mini Lemon Tart" (oil on linen; 4" x 5") sold

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Who doesn't want a mini lemon tart with a swirl of clotted cream?  It's a two-bite bliss!

"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

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

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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)