Often the subjects elicit childhood memories, when life was uncomplicated. They evoke a time in my life when an Oreo Cookie, Hostess Cupcake, ice cream or piece of cake was the center of my universe.

My serial images of cakes and Oreo Cookies portray moments of transitory pleasures. The Oreo Cookie is a subject I return to year after year. My daughters and neighborhood kids take part in the process by coming to my Oreo Cookie parties. The kids enthusiastically bite the cookies and joyfully play with them, as kids should. They pull the two halves apart to lick the icing, dunk them, stack them, and try to eat a whole Oreo in one bite leaving just the crumbs. Often when I am lighting the entire table of half-eaten cookies and considering the many options, I see more exciting images take shape amidst the dramatic shadows, and I realize I am looking at the next work in the series. I name the painting after the person who bit the original Oreo since it is their “portrait”, albeit an

untraditional one.