Alexis LoFrese

How does the presentation and appearance of food impact the relationships we have with one another

The topic of food, that has been a recurring theme in my portfolio is something that I hold close to me. My focus is not the food itself but What if our relationship with food defines our bond with our loved ones? My Family has connected in many ways through sharing old recipes and spending time together in the kitchen. Our presentation of food to one another demonstrates my family's artistry ,talents and bond. I’ve looked back into my life and remembered all the traditions and memories that I've made that were in the kitchen and used those through my art. For example me and my mom make valentine’s day goodies every year and it's become a really important tradition to me that I will pass down to my children. Another example is friendships. In my cookie piece I show a hand, this hand is one of my friends. Every day we would share a cookie and it blossomed into a beautiful friendship. I've experimented with different mediums and how they can make the piece look as good as possible. I'm trying to explore with colored pencils. I've been trying to do a better job with blending and creating a smooth transition from color to color. I feel I did a good job of this in my fruit piece with the blueberries. I blended the colors and to me the blueberries look every real which was my goal. I was inspired by Wayne Thiebaud and his cartoonish ideas on food in art. It made me want to rethink and consider taking the cartoonish route along with changing mediums and styles. My investigation goes way deeper than just food on a plate, but the interior and the meaning behind the food we create and eat.