A collection of paintings by the Florida-based painter, Rez, entitled "Chocolate and Flowers," will be exhibited through July 16 at Linda Hayman Gallery in Farmington Hills.

His work ranges from paintings of sad-eyed funeral marchers to highly stylized depictions of large chocolate bars and cookies. His variety evolves from his desire to create art in his new country which he refers to as "the land of milk and cookies," where all things are possible. Born in Persia, Reza has lifelong visual memories of the colorful packages of candy his father would bring to his children. These images inspired Reza's creations in later years.

Reza built his own multimillion dollar graphic arts and communication company before pursuing a full-time career as a painter in 1984. Reza lives and works in Palm Beach, Fla.