Day 1 in the wood shop: The 4-tiered wedding cake foam is cut. I was informed that this is too small. Since I never had a traditional wedding cake and haven't been to a wedding in eons, this was news to me! I am going to remove the top tier and add a larger 15" bottom layer. I'm looking forward to the time when this will look less like a styrofoam hat and more like an edible dessert.
Day 2 in the wood shop: 6 1/2 of the cakes are cut plus three tests to resolve floating issues. I ran out of styrofoam so off to Lowe's this evening to acquire more materials. I hope to have the rest cut, glued, and shaped tomorrow and caulked by the end of the weekend. [Photo courtesy of Chet since I left my i-phone in my office]
Last June, I wrote about my infatuation with fake cakes and my love for the "California aesthetic" of Wayne Thiebaud meets Ed Ruscha. This summer, I do not have a big trip planned but I am in the process of saving up money and writing grants to do something BIG next year. I have had an idea that I cannot shake and this week I have started the research and will begin constructing the parts. Wayne Thiebaud plays a very large role. I have known about Wayne Thiebaud long before I knew of Ed Ruscha. He was a big influence on my father as they both hailed from Southern California. One of my first encounters with Thiebaud was in my Drawing 1 class at Boise State University when my professor (Dad) had us draw Candy Ball Machine in pastels. I still have that drawing somewhere in Astoria, Oregon and haven't seen it in years.
In 2000, I saw the Wayne Thiebaud: A Paintings Retrospective exhibition at the Fort Worth Modern and was introduced to the classics like Five Hot Dogs but also new images that I hadn't seen before like Girl with Ice Cream Cone, a portrait of Thiebaud's second wife Betty Jean.
In addition, I was enthralled with his hand painted boxes like Ice Cream Cone from 1966 (as I am with most artists who use found wooden boxes in their work).
I was also amazed that a painting like Reservoir could resemble cake glaze to such a degree.
Indirectly, I can see that the above painting certainly was an inspiration in creating my favorite photograph of the entire "Earthworks Road Trip American West" last year.
I don't necessarily love doughnuts; i love their aesthetic. They were perfect for that afternoon at the Thunderbird Hotel in Marfa, Texas (above left).
When I was researching fake cakes last year, I was generally appalled at how unlike Wayne Thiebaud's they were. I could buy a styrofoam cake dummy if I wanted but all the other cakes looked like an Albertson's concoction overly decorated with too many flowers. These were not the fake cakes I was initially inspired by! About that time, one of my favorite blogs linked to this image below of the Blue Bottle Coffee Bar in SFMOMA's Rooftop Garden. Real cakes that resembled Thiebaud's paintings!
Of course you can't beat Sharon Core's photographs of real Thiebaud cakes either (here is Various Cakes from 2004):
So I started formulating plans to make them... Here are my inspirations:
This month and next I am going to construct nine fake cakes (of course I still have to have an ode to Ed Ruscha in this series). The bases will be foam with thickly coated acrylic frosting resembling the simplicity of shape in some of the desserts above as well as replicating the colors. As usual, this will entail a little help from my friends beginning with Dr. Natalie Phillips, Contemporary Art History professor extraordinaire, who also shares my love for fake desserts by creating fake cake jewelry in her spare time. This is the lovely wedding cake ring she gave me last year.
This summer I plan on floating these creations in nine bodies of water. I am not relegating myself to only swimming pools (I have a need to expand) but there will be some featured. Incidentally, the first body of water is indeed a swimming pool. The main rule is that the water must still be enticing and it must be CLEAR (after all, I don't touch brown water if at all possible = seriously so that pretty much eliminates rivers in this part of the country). I have a wide variety of resources at my disposal: lakes and oceans mainly and I am going to take some cues from Nancy involving swimming pool trespassing. Each one will be posted on this blog. First stop below (well I can't reveal the exact location since I will be trespassing but you better believe that it sure the hell isn't located in Indiana):
...but in the meantime, enjoy Kenny Scharf's "Pink Glazed Donut in Space" from 2007.
and "Chocolate Donut at Twilight" also from 2007.
Wow! I participated in a live performance/experiment/variety show Saturday night called "H-E-L-L-O!" brought to you by Maura Jasper and Mark Perretta. This was the partial email I received from Maura about the evening's events:
"Thank you for participating in this first test run of Hello! The tentative theme for tonight is "The Unknown", costumes are encouraged, diy is our guide, and we will also have ample costuming, craft material for spur of the moment decisions. Music, Interviews, Skits, Panel, with Pre recorded "Cut Aways"."
After feeding us pasta, wine, and PBR, Maura outlined the plan of attack.
Then Jon Faloon, Laura Hruska, and I (as "special guests") visited the costume closet.
Additional "special guests" included Cricket and Larry.
Maura in her nylon body suit underneath a rain coat eventually completed with polka dot shoes. Note: Larry is wearing polka dots too.
Mark as a character from "Sha Na Na." Note: Mark is wearing a BP headband.
My role was learning the program that would cut from one camera to "cut aways" (featuring earning a diploma from home, a fisherman painting an image of Bigfoot, etc.) to another camera. Maura and I shared this scary job because it has so much potential for screw-ups especially when broadcasting LIVE.
Here are Jon and Mark during the Music Intro:
The Panel Discussion on the "Unknown"(yes, I did whip out Goldie the I-phone and took pictures in the middle of the panel discussion). Note: Jon is wearing Maura's MFA graduation gown.
Mark during a sound test (after our skit "Unseen Investigation" featuring an unknown entity underneath a rug). Note: Mark is wearing a nylon stocking over the BP headband and wig on his head previously seen as a tail during the music intro.
Resting after the skit (Laura and Larry recreating a Wizard of Oz moment).
This was the most fun I've had on a Saturday night in Muncie since.... Whoever knew dancing to music from The Price is Right could be so much fun? Stay tuned... I'm on call to work on this until Maura and Mark take the show on the road to Austria next month.
Yesterday Amelia and I wandered around the IMA's 100 acres of land that is gradually becoming home to artwork/earthworks by Kendall Buster, Los Carpinteros, Jeppe Hein, Alfredo Jaar, Tea Makipaa, Type A, Atelier Van Lieshout, and Andrea Zittel. It opens in June 2010.
Here is Andrea Zittel's Indianapolis Island before it will be sent out to the middle of the lake. One or two students from Herron School of Art will be living in the structure over the summer.
Also of interest (but no photographs as of yet) were Tea Makipaa's Atlantis, and one of my favorite artists, Alfredo Jaar with Park of the Laments.
In the meantime, behind the scenes at the IMA Photo Department.
Amelia at the "Seeing is Becoming" exhibition at IMOCA and First Friday.
Horned toads are the best! (pLopLop Show at Big Car Gallery).
... and fluorescent food is wrong (even if it is pink & displayed on a platter with pretty birds)!
