“I think Mary brought the chocolate cake” is from a group of paintings I did for a show where the theme was breaking bread. Mary was my mom, and she made the best chocolate cake. 

Some of my fondest memories of breaking bread are from my childhood. We’d have family gatherings at our grandparents house. My grandpa and uncle would grill for hours. My grandma, mom, and aunt would bake. And my grandmother would also make homemade ice cream. Everyone was invited. 

For this painting I imagined she was gossiping with other guests. Someone asked, “Girl, who made that chocolate cake?” And she chimed in with, “I think Mary brought the chocolate cake.”

Title: I Think Mary Brought The Chocolate Cake

Medium: Acrylics on Canvas

Size: 8 x 10 inches

Artist: Betty Refour

Please feel free to contact us with questions. 

PS: The yellow tops on the women I paint are an homage to my maternal grandmother. When I was a kid, she thrifted a blouse that she thought I’d like “when I got big,”  she’d say. The top looked nothing like the yellow tops I paint. But she was always cheering for me and my art. Mom thought being an artist was ridiculous. Ha! 

I liked fancy clothes a lot, but I went to private school, and wore uniforms. I dreamed of the day I would get to wear fancy clothes. I started drawing abstracts with Rose while in high school after she repeatedly drew on my homework. I eventually started drawing fashion from magazines, and obtained a degree in Fashion Design. I started our line of note cards in 1999. I hadn’t painted before 1995. I was an illustrator. I started painting as a form of therapy while recovering from a back injury.