Strawberry Carré

My brushes screamed for color. They ached for brilliant blue. Don't dilute the yellow and give us, give us green. Very demanding brushes. Luckily I spied this square. Grabbed it up real quick. It seemed to keep them happy. They danced around the walls of it. Played in the pointy shadows. The red it was this brilliant. It shouted out to me, this New Year is going to be succulent, you'll see. Art will feed your soul.

At auction now. Own it for yourself. Click To Bid.

Chocolate Cupcake Surprise

A commissioned treat. I don't always give a glimpse behind the curtain, but sometimes the fun needs to be shared. I am still working on several commissions in the studio, gearing up for a rather large project coming up. I thought you might enjoy one little chocolate surprise, one little fanciful piece that another thoughtful friend commissioned for another.

I wanted the light of friendship to show through. I also added just a smidge of green in the skirt so it would be site specific. Part of my reward is hearing how delighted the recipient was...receiving her first commissioned painting. To my artist friends who know my large work and how lovely those huge important commissions are...well this one too was truly a delightful pleasure. Art will feed your soul.

A Gift For Noie

Now that I have heard from her, I can share a little fun...part of my job is being a bit of an elf...and being able to keep a few secrets. Don't you love the little things that make your friends happy? Well here is just a little friendly conspiracy by two friends for another. We love you Noie all year long. And the treat you are to us.

Nope not for sale. You would have to wrestle her for it. That is if you could get past her Barkalottamusses, Milo ( my god dog , an aussie), and Emmy, (a very young and precocious, corgi.) Hats off to the brilliant and lovely hearted Isolde who came to me with the commission. My thanks. Art will feed your soul.

Merry Christmas

Warmest of wishes for all of you. Some of you have one of my holiday cards...a little pen and ink practice... Some of you will get one. But for all of the visitors here, thank you....for making this a wonderfully delicious year. All best wishes for a truly sweet season.
Jan

Cherry Panna Cotta

Color reverberates, if you set it in motion. It can sing. It can dance. It can enhance what you're saying. Form can speak, if you know the vocabulary. It can push. It can pull. It can say this is full of the most delightful flavors. Line can lead, if you choose it wisely. It can take us on a merry romp. Guide us to the point. Which for me is to say, without my words...you would still get the picture. Visual literacy. A little riff. All on a panna cotta.

At auction for your creamy delight. Click over on the right.

Epiphany Croquembouche

Une pièce monteé. An assembled piece, a "crunch-in-the-mouth", usually served at weddings. My first really real mountain of choux was a glistening caramel tower upon a banquet table. A masterful piece built by Chef Michele Marcais at the Royal Sonesta, just made Chef of the Year. So it was a party and a haul-out-his-artillery-show-off-feast...never EVER miss that kind of invitation. I had spent the day before with him and Paul Prudhomme in a cook off. ( them not me) Again. Do not fail to show up for this kind of thing either.Boys playing with food...in the best kind of way. I was seated next to Chef Michele at their lunch. Little did I know he was cooking up the grand pièce for the next day's dinner. No wonder his eyes were sparkly.You see chefs at play, are like artists at play. Something to behold. And these chefs that day were like children again, laughing, joking and egging each other on...building treats one by one, much to my delight.

At auction. Click over on the right and it is yours.

Razzle Et Chocolate

Painting with scent. My jawed dropped at the ooh and ahh of a project I heard about yesterday done with two year olds. Take cinnamon stick scrapings, vanilla and peppermint flavors, mix one each into a little bit of paint, green, white and red. Let the child paint a picture and when it dries, it smells like the holidays...are we impressed? Do we want to do it? Oh YES! Imagine the rapture if paintings had scents.If the fragrance of razzleberries , chocolate and cream were faintly embedded within the paint...hmm...there's a dream. What flavors would you paint?

At auction. For your pleasure. Click over on the right.

Dutch Apple Tart

Cerulean blue and yellow. A hike on a different path. Like visiting various masters, keeps perspective alive. It deepens our depths. Keeps our vision fresh. Like crisp running springs and clear coastal breezes that wash our psyches clean...staying restless, experimenting, invigorates our muse. So here's a simple tart, apple wedges dusted with snow, a starchy white paper sleeve and a tiny bit of our friend Van Gogh. It wanted a cerulean blue to bring you into the glow and the charm of it. It's timelessness, it's warmth. It wanted me to paint sunny yellow, take me along that route you see. It begged for a few branches of brown, to move me along the path. It's a little walk, a slight change in blue, nothing really fancy, a snapshot if you will, of my trek along another coast down a bit of Vincent's path to ponder a bit of his view.

At auction presently. Click over on the right.

Periwinkle Fruit Tart

Della Robbia. Cherish bounty even if it is small. It still has the power to enrich. To fill a moment with grace. Garland yourself with little moments of color, ripe and true. Taste the form, feel the round, smile at a beautiful blue. Festoon your life with a little art. Love a poem or two. Don't just exist. Reach for a little bliss... and maybe a tart or two.

At auction right now. Ends tonight. So...click on the right.

Tiramisu I Love You

Tiramisu I do love you. And I love the new short film Heart Tango which is actually an ad for Intimissimi lingerie. Hey, it IS Naughty Friday...(It just happens. I don't plan this stuff). Anyway there was a bit of discussion yesterday over what some copywriters called the "stupidest web site design ever" referring to Leo Burnett's new site. Well, I thought differently. But that is just little ol' me who is, hmm, visual in nature maybe...stupid? Stupid like a fox maybe...and guess who did this new, may I say totally tasteful, but hot Intimissimi ad everyone is talking about? Yep. Leo Burnette....buzz people. Buzz. Again, I will put my 2 cent vote in for increased visual literacy....So the Italian theme here, it seemed to kind of fall into place. My thanks to Maryann and her Dolce Vita community. And also my thanks to very talented Dean Rieck who proposed the gross "stupidity" for our perusal. Me, I want pictures, pastries and really great underwear...oh and a tango with that José Fidalgo from Portugal...Tiramisu Tango I say. Yep. Enough for everybody please. And for Lawton Chiles and the guys. I am buying Intimissimi next time out. So yep. It is profitable.

Almost forgot...please help me get that intimissimi. Click on the right and bid...it looked expensive...:) Guys. Go to an art museum sometime. I'll meet you there and we'll go over how to read a picture...all due respect.

Napoleon Imparfait

Messy. But creamy good. He slid a bit on the way home. And the very well intentioned counter person, wrapped him up for transport, ooh la la, non, non. Oui. He did. Do not fear, Napoleon is nothing if not resilient. I scooched him off the tiramisu, rescued him from the grips of the blackberry tart, unwrapped him and took a look. And here he is looking back, still brilliant and very very handsome.

Savor your own Napoleon? His auction ends tomorrow night. Click over on the right.

Strawberry Island

Cabana Boys. In crisp white as whipped cream shorts.They LOVE to bring you things, beverages, sun tan lotion, lunch...anything. Drop your sunglasses. They pick them up. Magazine blows off the deck chair. Yep, fetched happily. Doze off, they gently remind you to take care, the sun. Let me get an umbrella for you. Get wet in the pool. Towel right there. Yep. I am thinking every plan for world peace should have a cabana boy clause. So when I paint these islands, I am thinking pure luxe and someone there to answer every whim. Everyone deserves a cabana boy every now and then.

At auction currently. Grab a beverage and bid. Click over on the right.

Way Good Cupcake

A surprise from chef. Just sitting there in the case waiting for me. No idea what flavor, but I knew if he made it it would be good. Having recently experienced the Sprinkles offerings, I felt prepared for good.I painted not knowing what was coming up. Well, WAY GOOD was in the stars for me on this one. It is a surprise of black walnuts and coconut , just a bit, and I think nutmeg in the best cupcake cake I have EVER tasted. Like a caribbean cloud with a hint of cream cheese whipped in cream. The little top is totally sugar. He wins. Hands down. No contest. So real and transporting I looked to see if there was a cabana boy near by to bring me a beverage. Kudos chef! Encore, encore.

At auction currently. Grab your own cabana boy and bid! Click over on the right.

Carnival Colors

Cheesecake. Simple form. A blackberry nestled in cream. But down at the bottom, just around the rim, I noticed a familiar three. Lavender, gold and green. Faintly I hear the bands warming up.Twelfth night will soon be upon us. For now he stays cozy, wrapped in clouds of cream. However, little blackberry is second lining in his dreams.

The auction is heating up on this one. Ends tomorrow night. Want in? Click over on the right.

Chocolate Feathers

Charles Sheeler. Very structural and manly. But there along the base of it, right underneath a chocolate feather, I found a bit of delicacy, a trace of feminine. So there's a whisper of lavender, a little bit of breath, to go with all that force.

The auction has just begun. Click over on the right. It will end on Tuesday night.

Juicy Red And Custard

Ahh. I am such a ditz! This auction is ending in just few hours. I forgot to post!!!Hey, it's Saturday....I was doing a pastry run...and way good news there. So here you are just for those who want their Rrrrrrrred right now. Go over. Click on the right. It can be yours tonight. Sounds good to me. Now back to the studio I go.

Rrrrred!

Cake is good. Passion is better. Naughtiness can be sublime. Treat it as an art. Be crazy like an idiot for something that you do today. Mix it up and play. I was feeling red, very very red. Sometimes you have to go with that. Kick it up a notch or two. It feels so very, very good. Rrrrred. Wonderful sound when you let it growl. Add some spice. Make some mischief. Turn up a little heat. Yep. Naughty Friday. Works for me.

The auction for this one ends tomorrow night. The bidding is already heated. Grab a beverage my friends and join in. Click over on the right.

Hallelujah

Chocolate nuns. Never saw those coming on my life list. And surprisingly, no guilt eating one. Not sure what that says about me, but I am about six years old again when I see these in the case. Wiggle like a pup in anticipation. When I paint them, well it is just too darn fun. I can't explain it. It just makes me happy. The custard inside, phew. I have never had a bad profiterole experience. Nope. Not one. In fact, quick review, all of them have been incredibly delightful. Brush agrees. He wants more.

This one is up for auction tonight. Already the bidding is active. Are you in? Click over there on the right.

Juicilicious

The juice. Ya got it or you don't. When you see it, grab it with both hands... or a brush. Why I am continually surprised that the exuberance shows up in the paint, I have no idea. But it does. Thank the muses. Trying to figure out why I get so excited by pushing paint around would be like trying to find out why chocolate is so darn good. I just do and it just is.

The auction on this one ends tomorrow night. Are you in? Carpe diem.

Cupcake Chorus

California has crept into this lovely trio. Thanks Wayne T. It's fun. For me, I will walk on most any coast and enjoy the view. Brush hikes too. Up one hill and down. We look for soul stretching views and like to sniff fresh air. Boots and sketch pad, camera, eyes alert, smile upon the face. It is quite fun you know, exploring, searching for visual cake. My path took me to a Sprinkles Boutique, fresh goodies in a chi-chi box. Bought a half dozen. Brought them home to paint. And while they subscribe to a modernist minimalist decor and presentation, what's inside...oh me oh my...hurry, do not wait. They have in taste, perfected the cupcake. Beverly Hills, hats off to you. I have marked my map. The buzz. The buzz is true. Mon dieu. Who knew? These are at auction until tonight. The link is to the right.

Kiwi Razzle Tart

Currently at auction, a kiwi razzleberry tart. Holidays are here.Tick tock goes the clock. If you are so inclined, there is a clickable link over on the side. These will ship in plenty of time so no worries. I will wax poetic, I will paint entranced, but jingaling is upon us, will be here before we know it. So love you all. I am at work, painting gleefully. Lots of orders and commissions, great projects going on...bid, jump right in to get an original Cartier. And if you have the time, say hello. I love knowing how you're doing. Now must get back to the studio...red, it is red that I am painting on today and some shh, surprises for your friends.

Razzle Dazzle Berries

Ahh, here we go, a little TLC, if you please...off you go. Bon Voyage. Off to Allison...thank you so much. Your joy it is infectious. I gladly send red razzle berries off to you, some sprinkled with sugar snow. And with this little scrumptious tart good wishes flow for all of you and yours. Keep up the good work and enjoy the holidays!! Merci. Et Joyeux Noel!

Cinnamon Sugar Cupcake

Hmmm, how do you do to Kalamazoo. We're awfully glad to see you. Here's a treat just for you. I thought it looked rather jaunty, beret like in its shape. It smelled so good. Man so fresh...I hope it gives you pleasure. Ahh there that is three....phew, one more....

Red Velvet Sprinkles

Minimalism. A worthy endeavor. Let me try it with my words.Red velvet is delicious at the Sprinkles Boutique. Now here you go off to Michigan to delight another one who gets it. Not so hard, tick tock on the clock. What two more!!?

Blackberry Button

I had to paint cream. And so I did. This luscious cheesecake fit the bill. It is going to a new home. So thank you very much my new friend. I appreciate your bidding and your buying too. Allons-y. The next one please. We must bring this up to date, vite, vite...the holidays are here..:)