Sarah Cummings-Truszkowski | More Than Sugar & Butter

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Sarah Cummings-Truszkowski, “Grace Cake,” no date

(courtesy of the Gallery)

Since I was a child, I have loved spending time in the kitchen baking with my mother and grandmother. Together, we would bake upside down cakes, ice box cookies, cherry loaves, and Christmas desserts. Often, I would just watch them bake, or “help” by licking the spoons or mixing beaters. These days, with my grandmother gone and my mother living across the country in Ontario, I spend time baking with – and for – friends and family nearby.

By making each dessert into painted works of art, I reinforce the significance of baking. I elevate the meaning behind a simple baked dessert and look into the essence of what it means. I believe that by lifting up women’s experiences and time spent together baking at home celebrates the importance of motherhood, suggests how critical time spent together is, and for me, it highlights the integral role maternal women have played in my life. I cherish these women and the traditions they passed on to me.

Each work of art is painted with acrylic paint, on a square framed substrate of either canvas or board, with a two-inch frame. Each dessert is meaningful. For example, Candycane Swirl Fudge is only a treat for Holiday celebrations, Marzipan Squares with their green and pink batter are my brother’s favourite, Danish Pastries dotted with jam and icing are only to be eaten Christmas morning, and a chocolate cake is always made for my son’s birthday.

Over the years, I have collected many old writings, recipes, and recipe books that have been passed down through several generations of my maternal ancestry. Recipes with creased corners, faded words, butter stains, and fingerprints. I cherish these recipes and the desserts I make from them. The desserts are much more than the butter, sugar and calories they contain. For me, desserts are full of love, history, family, traditions, celebrations, and precious time spent with loved-ones.

Now, it is I who bakes special cakes and cookies, squares and rolls, with (and for) my family. Many of my paintings are of cakes I baked for my own childrens’ birthdays, cupcakes I made for class celebrations, or new recipes I have learned to bake on my own like a Strawberry Roulade or Linzer Cookies for special occasions. All of my paintings, all the special desserts, represent love; love from mother to child, love from one human to another, love through generations.