Vanilla 2010

Ralph Goings made this small, tasty painting of a glazed donut with oil on canvas. Look at that creamy vanilla glaze slowly dripping down the golden-brown pastry. I bet Goings was drooling while he was painting this, mmm. Maybe he had a whole box of donuts beside him in the studio, slowly diminishing as the painting progressed. I’m thinking of other artists, too, like Wayne Thiebaud, who made delicious paintings of cakes and pies. What is it with painters and sweets? Food is a great subject, the colors, shapes, and textures. This donut sits on a blue and white tiled surface, a simple backdrop to set off that luscious confection. It's a painting about pleasure, surely. Goings shares his pleasure with us, one brushstroke at a time. Food, art, what’s the difference? They both feed us.