Welcome to Margie Guyot's updated blogsite! I do plein air landscapes plus studio paintings of still lifes in oil. You may still visit my older blog (greatlittleoilpaintings.blogspot.com) to see everything painted prior to 2010.
"Cherry Danish" -- oil on canvas 6x6" -- Margie Guyot
Glad to be finished painting "Hint of Mint", I turned to a cherry danish I'd bought up at Johann's Bakery in Petoskey. I'd bought it at least a week ago, but heck -- it still looked pretty good. So I painted it, using the last of the 6x6" canvases. It was so much fun to do! I'll probably start a "pastry" series next, followed by slices of pie, slices of cake, flowers, maybe even fishing lures.
Jerry's Artarama put on a huge sale on their 6x6" canvases, so I ordered 90 more. Look out, world!
"Hint of Mint #4" -- oil on canvas 6x6" -- Margie Guyot
"Hint of Mint #5" -- oil on canvas 6x6" -- Margie Guyot
"Hint of Mint #6" -- oil on canvas 6x6" -- Margie Guyot
"Hint of Mint #7" -- oil on canvas 6x6" -- Margie Guyot
When I'd realized I'd sold the first 3 versions of "Hint of Mint", I realized uh-oh: I needed to paint more for some upcoming shows! So I made a mad dash to Traverse City, home of Simplycupcakes. The weather's been typically lousy (dark, gloomy, spitting snow), and given the choice between doing housework and painting -- well, there's no contest!
This is such a beautiful-looking cupcake to paint! From Simplycupcakes, in Traverse City, Michigan. It's made of strawberry cake, topped with chocolate ganache, strawberry buttercream and a slice of a fresh strawberry. I'd painted a couple of this one the day before and removed the strawberry at the end of the session. Fed it to Henny Penny, the studio chicken. These cupcakes hold up remarkably well, but I knew the strawberry slice would turn it funky in a hurry.
People ask why I'm painting multiple versions of cupcakes. Well, I've got 5 shows this year and I need cupcakes in just about every one of them. It's kind of a fun break, painting small canvases. I've done so many large still life paintings, it's kind of a lark to work differently. Each time I finish a canvas, I turn the cupcake a little to see a completely different view. It's not like I'm copying the same finished painting. THAT would be way too boring.
Len Mayhew, owner and baker at Simplycupcakes, made this gorgeous cupcake this morning. Yes, that's a slice of fresh strawberry on the top. Couldn't dilly-dally -- had to paint these as soon as I got home. It's made from strawberry cake (!), with chocolate ganache, strawberry buttercream, fresh strawberry slice and sprinkles of some kind of sugar (little white balls). It smells wonderful!
It was a typically cloudy, dreary day. By 4 PM I had to quit painting -- it was just too dark to see what I was doing. Since I plan on doing more paintings from this one, I removed the strawberry slice and gave it to Henny Penny, my studio chicken. Packed the cupcake safely away (so the studio kitties won't lick it). I've always got strawberries in the fridge, so I can easily cut a replacement.
I just realized that most people tend to prefer the paintings with the cherries on top. So I had to crank out some more paintings of this one. I think it's one of the prettier cupcakes from Simplycupcakes. According to the website description, this one is composed of chocolate cake, cherry filling, chocolate ganache, vanilla buttercream, a cherry and shaved chocolate. Whew! Hard to resist eating this one!
More great cupcakes from Simplycupcakes, on Front Street, in Traverse City, Michigan. When I started this cupcake series, I only did 1 painting of each variety. But it didn't take long to realize I needed to do multiple "takes" on each cupcake. I plan on using some in at least 2 shows coming up, plus I've been selling some paintings right out of my studio. So I had to paint at least 2 more of Pina Colada.
I've saved most all the cupcakes. Some are approaching 2 months old. They still look wonderful, although the cake part is hard as a rock. The maraschino cherry on this one has fallen off onto the floor several times. I just pick it up, pull off any stray cat hairs (!) and stick it back on.
At the time of this posting, there must be some kind of glitch with Blogger. It wanted to underline some of the text (above) and post it in blue. I've tried several times to correct it, but it's "stuck". Will see if I can fix it tomorrow.
Obviously, "Raspberry Waltz" is a favorite one I love painting. I'd painted a series of 3 of this variety last month, when the baker used finely-chopped almonds. This most recent batch had thin-sliced almonds. I didn't think I'd like them, but I changed my mind. I think they're more interesting to paint than the previous variety, with the itty-bitty fragments of almonds. I'm not a big fan of painting little sprinkles -- the paint is always very wet and gooey by the time I go to add tiny dots, and it's kind of maddening.
Some painters might find it tedious to paint cupcakes, but I'm surprised to find that they're rather enjoyable. Over the month or so I've been painting them, the frosting swirls no longer throw me into some kind of panic. Each cupcake has a different look, a different side to it. Almost like painting a portrait from different angles. Amazingly, these cupcakes, from Simplycupcakes in Traverse City, Michigan, hold up very well.
I do plan on starting a large still life soon, however. I'm thinking of setting up a party scene, with a vintage tablecloth, Depression glass dishes, flowers, and of course cupcakes....
Lots of activity around my studio and house lately, so I got a little bogged down on my painting (and posting!) schedule. Had some cabinets fixed in my kitchen and some lighting fixed (finally -- no more holes and dangling electrical wires!). Had to spend an entire day emptying out the back room of my studio so the carpenters can get in next week to build some storage shelves for my still life props. By the end of that task, I was so dusty, I had to take all my clothes off and throw into the washer -- even my down coat! Thank goodness I'd had the wisdom to put on a dust mask. Never a dull moment around here, even in winter!
Toffee Caramel Crunch: chocolate cake stuffed with buttercream, caramel and toffee topped with chocolate ganache and finished with buttercream, caramel drizzle and sprinkled with toffee.
The most fun part? Painting the caramel "drizzles". My favorite view? The last one. This angle always reminds me of a fully-opened rose.
Earlier I'd done the "non-choclate" version of this cupcake. That one has pink frosting and yellow cake. Simplycupcakes came up with a new version, with chocolate cake, cherry filling, white chocolate buttercream, a cherry-covered chocolate on top, sprinkled with shaved chocolate. Whew!
I think this is a very pretty cupcake. Almost reminds me of a tuxedo. I really enjoyed painting it!
"Sticky Bun" -- oil on canvas 6x6" -- Margie Guyot
It's freezing rain out and too dark (and early in the morning) to start painting, so I'm trying to catch up on my blog entries. Fell behind recently. This sticky bun is from a bakery in Traverse City. Not Simplycupcakes -- they only do cupcakes. I was with friends and we stopped for sandwiches at this bakery and that's when I spied the sticky buns. Thought it would be interesting to paint one.
Running behind on my posts again! I thought once Labor Day passed, life would quiet down. But nooooooo! These are 3 more studies from the fabulous bakery in Traverse City, Simplycupcakes.
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