FOOD

I found interest in painting food when I was introduced to the work of hyper realist painter Audrey Flack.  Her busy still-lifes included meticulously painted apples, oranges, and chocolates amongst many other objects. In 1996 she included one of my paintings for a juried show she was curating in New York City which was thrilling for me! I have also painted all of those same foods but in a much different manner.  As a kid growing up I remember my mom had a cookbook whose inside sleeve was covered with colorful petit fours. I think my desire to paint chocolates was based on a nostalgic whim to re-create those delicious looking candies and place them in a non-natural setting.

In general, I find food to be visually entertaining as well as a challenging subject matter to render. The idea of painting close-ups of food began with my observation of the beautiful organic lines of an apple juxtaposed with the rectangular confines of the canvas. That is how I began the technique of not showing the complete apple (or other subject matter) so it allows the viewers’ imagination to take over and complete the image.