TipsyCake Cake Shop

TipsyCake Cake Shop, 11"x14", acrylic, framed © Barbara Sistak Baur. All rights reserved.

There is an actual cake shop in Chicago named TipsyCake and that was the inspiration for this painting. The TipsyCake Cake Shop shows two bakers at work with bright colors against the stainless steel background drawing you into the scene. There are many elements that attracted me to this painting -- the setting, the colors, the figures. And the challenges were many-fold: capturing brightness in an indoor setting, bringing color to a stainless steel environment, having the two figure-shapes interplay correctly and adding enough detail but not so much as to overwhelm.  I am very satisfied with the level of detail that is balanced by the looseness of the strokes. Click on the close up image for a larger view. And, of course, I love this the story this painting tells.

I created a second painting like this and it is on my web site.  Click here to go to the galleries.

-- Barb

www.sistakbaur.com

By the way, I want to tell you that TipsyCake creates the most fabulous cakes and desserts.  They look fantastic and - better yet - they taste like heaven.  And that isn't always the case with lovely desserts -- I know.  I have visited (and sampled) many bakeries near and far.

If check out the web site, you'll find wonderful examples of the "cakes the dreams are made of" And, if you ever get a chance, this is the place to go for true taste delights!

Thank you, TipsyCake, for allowing me to visit your shop to find inspiration for my latest series of pastry paintings!

Create your own masterpiece

Think you can't create a masterpiece?  Think  again.  At a Bottles-and-Brushes, a party-hosting service, you paint, sip wine and get individual guidance from a professional artist.  At the end of the evening, you have a fabulous painting!  You doubt me? Here is a group photo of a recent party and their really great paintings!  Artist on-hand at this party was yours truly! Find out more about Bottles and Brushes.

That's me on the lower left.  I am the only one without a painting because I was busy coaching the folks at this party.  They did pretty good! (Click on the picture to see it a bit larger.)

-- Barb
www.sistakbaur.com

Artists participate in Kaneland Community Arts Festival

I was one of the artists that participated in the Kaneland Community Fine Arts Festival that took place in April.  It is one of just a handful of public school art festivals in the State of Illinois. The event combines student and professional visual artists, hands-on workshops, and professional performing artists and groups. The festival annually draws approximately 3,000 students, families, and community members for a day of culture and fun. Bringing professional artists to the Fine Arts Festival to expose the communities to the fine arts is one of the goals.  Find out more about the Kaneland arts programs.

Elegant Selection

This is a smaller painting, 9" high and 12" wide ,and putting so much diversity into a small space was a challenge.  Each pastry is unique with its own chocolate-like color and texture. They are almost tumbled one upon another creating an enticing display. In the close up, you can see some of the individual textures in the desserts.  Look for the differences among them. Click on the image to see a larger view. In addition, this painting is one of three I created that feature glass plates. 

A plateful of lovely desserts suggests a story of an elegant day of entertaining, beautiful guests and delightful company.
--Barb

May Art Fairs 2010

 May 1 is this Saturday and  May is the unofficial kick off for art fair season in the Midwest.  Here are three good fairs you shouldn't miss. 

Oak Park, Art in the Park 15-16, Mills Park, 217 S. Home Ave.
The hometown of Frank Lloyd Wright is the setting. You can tour his studio and the neighborhood, which is the location of some of his early work. The West Suburban Art Guild organizes this event.

Riverside Arts Festival, May 22-23, 
35 E. Quincy Ave
The entire town of Riverside is a national landmark, as it was  planned by Fredrick Olmsted, the nineteenth-century landscape architect who designed Central Park in New York. Beautiful homes and city buildings are hallmarks of this town. A walking tour, conducted by the Olmstead Society, starts off at 2 pm.









  Barrington Art Fair, May 29-30, downtown Barrington
Friendly little restaurants and an old-fashioned downtown area are two of the attractions of Barrington, long known to be the home of the horsey set. Barrington is a pleasant town to visit and the art should be fabulous. This is the newest Amy Amdur-produced art fair. If you are familiar with Chicago-area art fairs, you know that she conducts a fine show with high quality art and professional organization.

  
 --Barb

www.SistakBaur.com


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Long, Lovely Loaves in the Market

Bread at the Market, 14"x11" , © B Sistak Baur

Rich, warm colors are great to work with but it is the setting of this painting that was the attraction for me. Recreating this scene -- placing the bread in a market -- was exciting. I created a stylized, simplified background to sharply contrast the more detailed basket and lovely, long bread loaves -- unpackaged and obviously fresh. Layers of paint define the individual loaves in the bundle. In the close up, you can see the interplay of colors that define the depth and loave textures. Bread texture is very satisfying in both eating and in re-creating on  canvas.

Bread at the Market, Close Up, © B Sistak Baur

The vertical format emphasizes the shape of the loaves. On my website, I have matched this painting with two others that share the same format.  See how they look together and let me know what you think. This painting is currently available to be shown. Please call me if you would like a personal appointment.

--Barb
www.SistakBaur.com

This painting has been sold.
 

Chicago Art Open Showcases Diverse Works (Mine, included)

The 12th Annual Chicago Art Open, presented by the Chicago Artists' Coalition, will be on display from April 20-May 7 at the River East Art Center, 435 E. Illinois Street, Chicago.  There are more than 350 works of art on display, all from members of the Chicago Artists' Coalition.  The Chicago Art Open is an unique opportunity to appreciate the diverse talent of the city's visual artists.  The Opening Reception is April 24, (a Saturday), from 12-4 pm..  Yes, I am displaying my "Loaves" in this exhibition and will be at the opening reception (which is free for everyone). I hope to see you there.

Two more great events are happening at the Open.  One is the Benefit Preview Party, April 20, from 6-9 p.m.  Advance tickets are $50.  The other event is the free event,  "How to Collect" panel discussion that takes place May 2, from 12-3 p.m. (If you can't make this but are interested, I am going to attend and post the information here on my blog.)

 

Loaves, showing at the Chicago Art Open, 16"x30", stained canvas adhered to board, © B. Sistak Baur, $975

--Barb
www.SistakBaur.com