Another oil painting in the “Tastes Of Home” series. Called clear toy candy, clear malt candy, malt sugar candy, or any combination there of. Brought to Pennsylvania by German settlers, this candy was a staple during the Christmases of my youth. My mom and dad always gifted a few pieces in our stockings. And, my dad’s work had an annual children’s Christmas event at the Rajah Theater in Reading – watched cartoons and Three Stooges. Exiting the theater, all kids were given a toy, an orange, and some candy which included clear toy candy. I also have a vague memory of my dad taking me into center city Reading, where a neighbor of an aunt always had a big clear toy candy display – one year it was a Christmas scene, another year it was a manger scene. Traditional colors are clear/yellow, red, and green, but I’ve seen others. Getting harder and harder to find this candy each year – becoming a lost tradition. In many of my paintings, I use temperature, value, and saturation to create depth. In this painting, used subject clarity to create depth. Enjoyed the challenge of blurring out the background items to put the focus on items in the foreground. My “Tastes Of Home” series features foods and food brands local to Reading/Berks County, Pennsylvania Dutch Country, and the Greater Philadelphia area.
