NOURISH + NURTURE
The ritual of gathering, preparing and consuming food is profound and special in its potential for nourishment: as nutritional sustenance for the body and connection for the soul.
The unprecedented times brought upon us by the Covid-19 pandemic positioned food at the center of my life once again. In spring 2020 my practice was forced to relocate from an offsite art studio to inside my studio apartment, shifting my attention to the kitchen as the locale for creative expression. My days quickly filled with thinking up and experimenting with new ingredient combinations, inventing sweet and savoury beverages and dishes. Most were consumed in solitude, but some were in the company of a select friend or virtually via one of the multitude of video conference platforms inundating our lives. The fulfillment that I felt in the moments of ingredient collection, preparation and consumption lead to a series of virtual dinner parties and other food centered projects:
01. Nourish + Nurture: Recipe Card 1, illustration and digital design, 2021
Recipe Cards: A selection of illustrative recipe cards included in, On Power, in 20 Parts for The Center for Art Research (CFAR). They are an invitation for a potential dish, the selection of ingredients to be interpreted or followed as desired.
Entire project: http://power-power-power.org
02. Nourish + Nurture: Edible Shortbread for the People, illustration and digital design, 2021
03. Nourish + Nurture: Edible Shortbread for the People (edition 1), printed design wrapped around shortbread cookies with rose, calendula and lavender, 2021
Edible Flower Shortbread for the People, consists of an illustrated poster/wrapping with a brief description of the benefits of a few flowers and the shortbread recipe, with an offering of a few baked cookies inside. A small edition was shared with the University of Oregon community as a gesture of human connection at the end of the 2020-21 school year which took place mostly online.
04. Nourish + Nurture: Dinner Party #1 Invitation, illustration and digital design, 2020
Virtual ‘Dinner Party’: Each invitation included a selection of ingredients for possible inclusion by each guest. Multiple iterations took place throughout 2020 of groups of friends, family, colleagues, ranging from 4 to 20 guests.