I got the idea for this series while strolling the aisles of my local Farmers Market.  I was enthralled vast array of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, peaches, apples and more, all with marvelous names!  It struck me that each of these was nurtured, grown, picked and presented with great love and care presented for me with pride from the farm that had grown it, and that each deserved a “family” portrait.  When I got done with my first portrait of a Bartlett pear I felt like something was missing.  I realized that these fruits and vegetables, while beautiful, were not grown to be viewed, they were grown to be eaten.  That’s when I decided that each piece needed a favorite recipe.  I immediately thought of my friend Stephanie’s family recipe for Pear Pie.  Adding the recipe made the piece complete, tenderly grown, carefully chosen, affectionately prepared, and lovingly served, oh and don’t forget promptly eaten!  “Food is Love” as my family always says. That’s what these portraits are about. 

The art is constructed in several stages.  I start by buying the fruit or vegetable that will be the subject of the portrait.  I photograph it in strong light and use that enlarged photo, as the pattern. Using primacolor pencils I draw the oversized produce. I cut it out and sew it and it’s paper shadow (like Wendy sews Peter Pan’s shadow) on to background paper. With rubber stamp letters I make note of it’s proper name and what farm it was grown at.  Later I mount the sewn paper collage onto a wood backing, and put a layer of encaustic medium (a mixture of bees wax and demar resin) over the top.  With hot metal objects I incise the surface to add texture and rub pigment into the scar to add another layer to the piece.  The final element is adding the recipe on top. The transfer is achieved by burnishing a reverse text copy onto the surface of the wax and carefully removing the paper.  Talk about “Slow Food”!