Cupcake Field II

Cupcake Field II, 9"x12", $300

Maybe you've heard -- cupcakes are all the rage. This all started when a mosaic artist created a portrait of Barrack Obama and Abraham Lincoln with cupcakes. Now, nearly everywhere you look, you see cupcakes evoking President Obama by some means. And, it was reported in all the major news outlets that Michelle actually served cupcakes (made with honey, not sugar, I understand) along side her veggies.

Call me obtuse or just very busy but this whole cupcake frenzy passed me by -- until I got to the art fairs. People come into my booth and insist on seeing the cupcake paintings. "Excuse me?," I'd respond. It took me a while to catch on.

Now, the fact of the matter is, I have several cupcake paintings. But I painted them (or at least started them) last fall as a step in my progression through my painting series --- way before the cupcake-mania hit. And frankly, I didn't always show them, not having room for every painting. Well, I guess that will change now. Shown here is one my cupcake paintings (I have more online). It is called Cupcake Field II. There is a II in the name because, in fact, I have created more than one. The reason is that I like the process I used and wanted to experience it again (I often do that) -- not because of the popularity of cupcakes.

I was attracted to this scene because of the rhythm, repetition and endlessness of the cupcakes. It is actually the cupcake tops that are featured as they swirl through the scene with no end in sight. The tops are the most interesting part. I used heavy impasto paint. The thickener I used is slightly granular, reminding me of the icing I created as a child, mistakenly using regular sugar instead of the powdered variety.