Cookie & Gingerbread Hyperrealism Paintings

 

Gingerbread neighborhood painting by Kim Testone along with the original real-life cookie model she baked and built first.

Cookie & Gingerbread Hyperrealism Paintings

My Cookie and Gingerbread Hyperrealism Paintings are a bit of a not-so-secret passion I have for making food paintings that bring a bit of optimistic magic into the world. Based on real-life cookie and frosting models that I design, bake and build and decorate by hand, each painting is incredibly detailed. I apply dozens of thin translucent layers of acrylic paint with small brushes in a hyperrealism trompe l'oeil style. This results in paintings that present the illusion of three-dimensional wall sculptures, despite being completely flat. 

You can view my many process videos on my TikTok, as well as some on my Instagram page.

The pieces in this series take on a more narrative approach than my other dessert paintings, reflecting not just whimsy but a tinge of socio-political and economic context. Using the cookies and gingerbread as the vehicle for presenting my ideas allows me to make something both comes from my imagination and exists as a real-life reference. That is necessary for my hyperrealism painting process because I always need a reference so I can make something truly convincing with details, light and shadows. 

Additionally, using recognizable treats like cookies, gingerbread, pretzels, candy and other treats makes the work accessible to a broad range of people. Regardless of age, education or language, everyone has an opportunity to enjoy and contemplate the pieces. Like everything I paint, I want these pieces to ultimately represent hope -- nostalgia for joyful moments from the past and hope for more joyful moments to come. 

You can learn more about the development of the series here. For more information about each individual work, please visit the full description pages on my Shop Original Paintings page. 

Whether you get to see them online or in person, I hope they help you to see a bit of magic in the world. More works will be added to this page as they are completed. Click the links to learn more about individual images, purchase originals or order prints. Thank you for visiting!


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