Dots Candy - by Darren Maurer

5" x 7"

As a kid growing up in Grand Island, Nebraska during the early 1970s I didn't know too much about the world beyond the edge of our town. Thinking back everything was pretty simple. Each year when school was winding it's way down toward summer vacation a local theatre, "The Grand", would offer a package of tickets to students so they could attend movies through the summer months. We called them "Summer Shows". Our day was every Tuesday and it was always a hot topic of conversation with my friends during the week. We looked forward the movie and cartoon shown beforehand. The Munsters and Three Stooges were always very popular picks for the main attraction. Every Tuesday morning (the movie began at like 9:00am!) someone's mom would drive a small group of us downtown and drop us off. We would meet up with other friends and head inside the theatre. I can remember the inside of "The Grand" and the guy that ran it very clearly.....what he looked like, what he sounded like, the smell of popcorn in the lobby, and the huge curtain that would pull back to reveal the large screen. I didn't know his name at the time but he would welcome everyone as we went inside. I know now that his name was Wally Kemp and he had to be one of the greatest guys in the world. He was full of energy and would give a big welcoming speech from the front of the theatre right before the cartoon started. The speech was always about doing the right thing and would end with him leading and everyone else following along singing "God Bless America" at the top of our lungs. Sometimes I had enough change with me to buy some Dots candy. They were one of my top favorites because there were so many of them in the box and they took a long time to eat because they were so chewy. Other times I had a plastic bag of candy treats from home to smuggle into the theatre, which at the time never seemed like a great idea to me but I did it anyway. (Thats an entirely different story!) The package on these Dots candies still looks the same. Whenever I see them today I think of those "Summer Shows" back in the early 1970s in Grand Island, Nebraska. Click HERE to see a web site about the history of "The Grand". This painting is available. $125 Email for purchase information.

Joe's Shoes - by Darren Maurer

6" x 6"

The form, the light, the shadow, all make painting shoes sort of fun. These particular shoes belong to a friend of my daughter. I spotted them sitting alone one day and instantly saw a painting. The color is vivid and it was a challenge to get them blue enough. You can intensify the color of an object by contrasting the compliment color somewhere in the painting. I added a pale orange background to this piece to make the blue seem more blue. This painting is a commission piece and therefore already sold.

Chocolate Bunny - by Darren Maurer

6" x 6"

This is another subject I visited before. I found this chocolate bunny in an old time candy store located here in Sioux City, Iowa. They have the mould and make them themselves. I like the clear plastic bag and ribbon ties used for the package. This bunny has an old time feel to it. Some of the brand name chocolate bunnies have a very modern design to them and tend to look the same making them boring to me. Painting Sold.

Easter Peeps! by Darren Maurer

5" x 7"

Every year since beginning my painting blog back in 2006 I have painted some of these Peeps candies a few weeks prior to Easter. Here is the 2011 version of my annual painting of the squeezed out marshmallow chick shaped masses covered in yellow sugar. They don't sound as great described like that do they? Regardless of what they actually are millions and millions of them are sold every year around this time. I like painting them and I think this piece could be my favorite one so far. Painting Sold.

Coffee & Donut - by Darren Maurer

10" x 10"

I could see this image in my mind and I really needed to paint it. I almost named it "Coffee, Donut & Spoon". The painting is on a gallery wrapped canvas which means the buyer wouldn't have to frame it. Painting Sold.