SSL: Food in Art

You know from this blog that I love food and travel, but I’m also a mixed-media painter (some paintings are on my website). My current artwork is often abstract, colorful, and what you might label ‘modern’, but my foundation is in traditional techniques, including drawings from life, such as this one:

For a true glimpse into history, I love discovering paintings of food: these images provide a fascinating look into culture and events of the past. Images below are from the Web Gallery of Art, which features an extensive collection of European art from the 11th to 19th centuries.

Joachim Beuckelaer
Market Woman with Fruit, Vegetables and Poultry
1564
Oil on oak, 118 x 171 cm

The cascade of fresh produce in this piece is fun and makes me want to visit the farmers market.

Maerten Boelema De Stomme
Still-Life with a Bearded Man Crock and a Nautilus Shell Cup
1642-44
Oil on wood, 73 x 96 cm

I have no idea what a bearded man crock is, but the detail in this piece is amazing and the bread reminds me of delicious Mexican bolillo.

Joseph de Bray
Still-Life in Praise of the Pickled Herring
1656
Oil on oak, 57 x 48,5 cm

A painting ‘in praise of the pickled herring’. My kind of dedication. I can eat pickled herring as a meal.

Luis Melendez
Still-Life with Melon and Pears
c. 1770
Oil on canvas

This Melendez painting is in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, so if you’re in the area, you can check it out in person!

Hope you’re having a great weekend and don’t forget to check out the 17th Annual Boston Vegetarian Food Festival today (Saturday, 11am-6pm) and tomorrow (Sunday, 10am-4pm). I went last year (see my recap and photos) and had a fantastic time. Lots of free food and new products/companies to discover!

Glass Vegetables by Terra Fletcher

Terra Fletcher of Cloverly Farm makes glass vegetables.  The two pieces on the left are from the series “Local, Organic” which she uses to “promote local, organic, and sustainable farms.”

Fletcher started doing glasswork at the Sharon Arts Center in Sharon, NH when she was 14 years old by taking a bead making class.

Since that first class, Fletcher knew she wanted to continue working with the medium.  Now, a student at Hampshire College, Fletcher hopes to continue with this work as both a hobby and possible source of income.