Happy 2011!

Welcome--Happy 2011!
If you could eat a work of art, what would it taste like? If colors represented flavors and textures 
of  paint represented food textures, what would a painting taste like?
With easy access to cooking techniques via TV shows such as Food Network and Cooking Channel, food has never been more popular-  in some case a spectator sport when it comes to the competitive ones. A good number of the chefs and cooks on the shows went and/or graduated from art school. Is it too simple to state that culinary art is simply another art form, that using fondant to sculpt a rose on a cake could just as easily have been a lump of clay to sculpt a statue? Or is it that food is sensual, felt on the taste buds and artists delight in it the way they delight in a visual piece?
For each posting, a work of art will be shown, then a recipe that is influenced by it in some way. In some cases it will be color(ie- a yellow themed painting may yield a yellow-colored dish, like corn, lemons or bananas) or even texture(a squiggly line drawing may yield a spaghetti dish). In other cases--such as today's piece-- it will be literal, a picture of a cherry yields a recipe that uses cherries. Art has few parameters, so there will be no set rules on how the art and recipe are related. In this way one can "eat" a work of art--contemporary and classic art can be examined.  Paintings dont have to be the only artwork, sculpture and photography can also make their way to this blog. My own art will be highlighted, but other artists work will be shown also-- I welcome anyone who would like to show me their work!
Also-- the connection of how artists and food will be discussed-- a bio/link of a culinary artist who is (or was) a visual artist may be presented.
Today my own piece- "Ripe 3" is examined and paired with a dish that is similar in color(deep reds and greens) and subject matter-- the artwork contains a cherry and so does the dish. My work frequently uses words as subject matter and Ive painted the word "ripe" combined with fruit several times. The actual letters of "r-i-p-e" are actually in the painting, hidden deep within. I do this to illustrate how one word can have different meanings to different people-- to one "ripe" may mean a cherry, to another a peach, to another--perhaps no food comes to mind--just timing. (when something is ripe- its essentially ready, time's up)
The lowly beet-- its included or tops many people's least loved food. It simply doesnt get love like its more popular cousin, the carrot. But beets are sweet and its lovely deep red color almost matches the  cherries in this recipe. The tang of the fresh orange juice, sweetness of the beets and cherries and creaminess of the goat cheese make this a salad to savor.
Eat and Enjoy!