Kim Kardashian, Kanye West and Barbra Streisand Toast Carole Bayer Sager's ...

Of all the words artists do not want to hear applied to their work, 'sweet' and 'cheesy' seem high on the list. Yet Carole Bayer Sager 's exhibition of luscious new paintings of candy bars and grilled cheese sandwiches almost begs for such a description. A Grammy and Academy Award-winning artist, Sager became passionate about painting years ago and in a relatively short period of time her artwork has achieved a painterly, poetic mastery.

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian were among the star-studded crowd at the opening for Sager's third solo show at William Turner Gallery in Santa Monica on Thursday. Asked about his thoughts on the show, West was uncharacteristically short-spoken: 'It's awesome!'

As an award-winning songwriter and singer, Sager has shared the stage with an incredible array of talent over the years, and a number of them were on hand at the gallery to celebrate Sager's work, including Barbra Streisand and husband James Brolin; Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell; Kenneth 'Babyface' Edmonds; Jerry Bruckheimer; David Foster; Brad and Cassandra Grey; Barbara Guggenheim; January Jones and Jaclyn Smith.

Sager spoke with The Hollywood Reporter at the beginning of the reception and shared a few details about the inspiration behind her favorite painting subject: food.

'I didn't realize until after I had painted about five food paintings that it was the area for me, because as a young child I was chubby and my mother and I had issues about it. So food was a major thing; dieting, eating too much. And there was something about painting it and abstracting it that I find very enjoyable - to play with the paint and the subject. '

In addition to her studio work, Sager has become an avid supporter of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in recent years. LACMA director Michael Govan and his wife Katherine Ross were also in attendance at the opening for the new show. Sager was one of a handful of major donors to the museum to host a private dinner in her home for this year's Collector's Committee fundraising events for the museum.

Sager's exhibition will be on view at the William Turner Gallery at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica until Nov. 8. For more information visit the gallery online at http://ift.tt/1mbryxz .