PB&J ! - by Darren maurer

8" x 10"

At last count I think this is number sixteen for my paintings with PB&Js as the subject matter. They have always sold quickly regardless if they are sent to a gallery or listed on eBay. I have painted very small ones and very large ones. My favorite part about painting them is getting the jelly to look three dimensional with the correct shine and sparkle. I have come to realize that people really want paintings of peanut butter and jelly to hang on their walls. This piece is a little larger (8"x10") than my normal miniature paintings.

Strawberry - by Darren Maurer

5" x 7"

Sometimes paintings don't end up how they were intended. I started this piece out as a close up of some lettuce leaves. It looked so abstract I was afraid the viewer was going to have trouble figuring out the subject matter. So...after about two hours of painting I grabbed an old rag and wiped the entire canvas clean. The canvas then had a nice muted green color to it. I wanted to keep working and decided something red would really look intense against the greenish background. I grabbed a fresh strawberry from the refrigerator and set it up and began roughing in the shape on top of the wet canvas. Sometimes paintings end up much nicer than they would have been. Painting SOLD.

Homemade Dill Pickle Chips by Darren Maurer

5"x7"

When I was a kid I can remember my mom, her sisters, and both of my grandmothers all making dill pickles at home. They all had a little different way of making them by tweaking the recipes. I have always loved foods that have been pickled and it is no different today. My wife, ShLoe, has been working on tweaking her own recipes this year. She started with a great recipe from my aunt, Annabell, who is known far and wide for fantastic pickles.  ShLoe has adjusted it here and there to add a spicy dill pickle into the selection. I like spicy too. I also liked the way these pickle chips looked when I saw them cooling on the counter top last week. I had to paint them. Painting SOLD.