"Apple Pie"

"Apple Pie" -- oil on canvas 6x6" -- Margie Guyot

The model slice I used did NOT look like this: it was a $3 slice I'd bought at a popular roadside restaurant, south of Charlevoix, Michigan.  In reality, the apple filling was more like semi-hardened glue.  Not juicy at all.  I'm sure you know how that is!

Having grown up in a family of dedicated pie-eaters, I know about how pies should be: flaky crusts and juicy fillings, all made from scratch.  And yes, I do know how to make a good pie.  But I've been far too busy to bake this spring.  So most of this pie was painted from memory.

I painted all afternoon in the studio, doing a total of about 10 pie paintings (6 of those were blueberry).  Little paintings, all 6x6", unframed, are kind of popular.  And their sales enable me to do some extra home improvement projects.  I still do large paintings, but have cut back on those a bit, as people haven't had the cash to spend these past few years. 

Back to the studio today for more pie!  Hmmmm....  maybe lemon meringue?  Strawberry?

Strawberry Shortcakes

 "Strawberry Shortcake #1" -- oil on canvas 6x6"

"Strawberry Shortcake #2" -- oil on canvas 6x6"

Oh boy -- I'm running way behind on my posts!   I've been very busy painting, and now that the snow's finally melted (!), there's my morning bike ride and gardening chores.

One of my friends told me a secret used by advertising photographers.  For non-melting ice cream and whipped cream, they would beat up Crisco and powdered sugar.  So I experimented with this technique.  It worked!  In fact, these paintings were done a couple weeks ago and I still have a bowl of the "ice cream" sitting on my kitchen counter, looking as fresh as the day it was made.

When I finished painting these two, I gave the setup to the chickens.  They dove into it!  Kind of funny to watch them.  Their beaks were soon covered with the Crisco-powdered sugar.  It was completely devoured within 5 minutes. 

Strawberry Cheesecake

 "Strawberry Cheesecake #1" -- oil on canvas 6x6" -- Margie Guyot

 "Strawberry Cheesecake #2" -- oil on canvas 6x6" -- Margie Guyot

 

This cheesecake was a take-home from the shitake log production workshop in Bear Lake, Michigan.  I'd forgotten to bring home my shitake logs when I moved up here, but that's another story.  We'd all been asked to bring something for the potluck lunch and one lady had brought this amazing cheesecake.  She let me whack off a big piece to take home to try to paint.  

For the first painting I used artistic license to paint it as a thinner slice.  The second painting shows the way it really was.  The sun was creating a lot of glare on the strawberry glace, but that's what made it interesting.  As soon as I finished these, I took the cheesecake over to the neighbor's.  I'd have eaten it all myself, otherwise.

Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake

 "Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake #1" -- oil on canvas 6x6" -- Margie Guyot

 "Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake #2" -- oil on canvas 6x6" -- Margie Guyot

 

 "Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake #3" -- oil on canvas 6x6" -- Margie Guyot

 "Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake #1" -- oil on canvas 6x6" -- Margie Guyot

 

Can you tell I liked this cheesecake?  The red stripes!!!!  After painting so many cupcakes, I found this refreshingly different to try to paint.  Love the subtle color changes between the sunlit surfaces and the shadow sides!  I'd bought a cheesecake sampler at the grocery store the other day.  Not to eat, particularly.  I just liked the way it looked.  I'll be painting all 4 varieties.

This day I wanted to paint a bunch of cheescake paintings so I could take the cheesecake to sax quartet rehearsal on Saturday.  I don't dare keep this kind of thing in my house!  Stay tuned: 2 kinds of chocolate cheesecake coming up next! 

More Chocolate Covered Strawberries!

 "Chocolate Covered Strawberry #3" -- oil on canvas 6x6" -- Margie Guyot

 "Chocolate Covered Strawberry #4" -- oil on canvas 6x6" -- Margie Guyot

 

 "Chocolate Covered Strawberry #5" -- oil on canvas 6x6" -- Margie Guyot

 "Chocolate Covered Strawberry #6" -- oil on canvas 6x6" -- Margie Guyot

 

 "Chocolate Covered Strawberry #7" -- oil on canvas 6x6" -- Margie Guyot

 

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. 

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes

 "Chocolate Covered Strawberry #1" -- oil on canvas 6x6" -- Margie Guyot

"Chocolate Covered Strawberry #2" -- oil on canvas 6x6" -- Margie Guyot

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.