Flamin' Hot

This week submissions were due for the NEIU Student Art Show. The theme of the shows are elemental, and this year the theme was "Fire." I was struggling for a while with what to portray that was related to fire and also related to my work, but with the help of my friend I comfortably landed on "Flamin' Hot Cheetos." How do you like that?

In general, I usually treat each subject in two ways: a really messy, macro shot that highlights all of the grossness of the act of mass consumption and a clean, portrait of the model that expresses a sort of horror or denial of the act of consumption itself.

Flamin' Hot Cheetos 1, Digital Print, 2011, 8"x10"

Thus, the gross / up-close image. I used the Cheetos because of the name (Flamin'---fire--yea you get it), but I also wanted to express the feeling of burning in one's mouth. For realism, the model ate spoonfuls of Thai chile paste... hence the snot. Yes, it was really that hot :O. Scotty is such a trooper!

Flamin' Hot Cheetos 2, Digital Print, 2011, 8"x10"

This image is representative of the "other half of the picture" when it comes to the act of eating. On the one had, there is the reality behind eating: what eating looks like, eating disorders, and the strange eating habits that people experience when in private. On the other hand, there is the commercial side of eating: the beautiful airbrushed people who are never actually eating but are shown as if they are. Admittedly, in my "Pies" series the work was more about the denying that one eats, while these "Flamin' Hot Cheetos" are more about the literal pain of eating spicy foods and the torturous effects that result, but the images are still very much related.

To see all of the "Flamin' Hot Cheetos" pictures please visit my FLICKR where you can also find all of my "Pies" series (under "People+Food" and "See Food").

More spiciness to come soon :)

The Culling of the Mold

After much procrastination, refrigerator horrors, and a giant mess I present to you some finalized photographs of my Bizarre Jell-o molds!

Pickle Mold, Digital Print, 8"x10", 2010.

Pasta Mold, Digital Print, 8"x10", 2010.

Pasta Mold, Digital Print, 8"x10", 2010.

As predicted, my Green Bean Casserole mold didn't work out because I forgot to grease the mold. It also didn't set very well so it was much mooshier than the other molds. If I were to ever do it again (and I won't be!!!!), I would probably skip the bread crumbs because they all sunk to the bottom of the mold and perhaps is the reason the consistency was so weird. I haven't finished the Collard Greens molds yet, but hopefully I will have time to do it before they shrivel up :P

This weekend I'm going to be working on some collages using french fashion magazines from the 1960s and I will also be hosting a Candy Party. Anyone who knows me personally is welcome to come :D! We will be watching Willy Wonka, eating a lot of candy, playing Candy Land, and dressing up in bright candy colors or costumes! Hope to see you there, and if not, I will maybe post some pictures on Monday.

Worked Up So Textural

Hello, all! I have not succeeded in finishing my 1950s place setting photos yet (or really even started them to be honest), but I do have the other half of the project finished. This whole project has been out of my comfort zone because my work usually involves the human element. In some ways, my pieces will involve a sort of narrative because of the implied human relationship with food preparation, but these images below are more textural and abstract (definitely out of my comfort zone!!). I hope you like them:

Pickle Mold, Digital Print, 8" x 10", 2010.

Pasta Mold, Digital Print, 8"x10", 2010

Green Bean Casserole Mold, Digital Print 8"x10", 2010.

Collard Greens and Chicken Mold, Digital Print, 8"x10", 2010.

I would love to hear your feedback! I hope you enjoyed my pieces :)

There are more coming soon!!

Ty-Pickle Me

Last night, my dear friend Scott helped me make some more Jell-o creations for my upcoming photoshoot (I haven't come up with a name for the series yet) where I will taking pictures of gelatin-encased foods that would not normally be served in mold form (not even in the 50s!)

Here are my ingredient previews:


The pickle-mold was inspired by Dr. Seuss and his movie, 5000 Fingers of Dr. T :)


And this is where you should start getting very scared:



Scott and I were very disturbed by the smell of this dish, but luckily for everyone reading this, there is no smell-o-vision on this blog :)

Enjoy! I will be shooting this weekend, so hopefully I will get some of my finished pieces up next Monday.

Shades of Green Beans

I'm checking in with the second preview for my new series:

Hmmm... we've got some ingredients for a classic thanksgiving dish, but there seems to be some sort of suspicious powdery substance. What could it be?

Of course, you know! It's Jell-o! Good news is my first set from yesterday came out pretty well :) The bad news is I forgot to grease my mold this time... so it is potentially a disaster waiting to happen :(

Wish me luck!

Shellshock

Hello, everyone!

Here is a little something to whet your appetite:

Oh, what horrors await me in my fridge?! I've begun the first idea in a series of many involving foods that would not be normally gelatinized. It is a light-hearted project meant to poke fun at the amazing 1950s Jell-o... well, everything!

Tonight I made 4 miniature "Pasta Molds" and I'm crossing my fingers that they hold up well enough to photograph them tomorrow night :)

I found an added bonus tonight; I realized the visual delight that is the unformed Jell-o... stew? As I was photographing my process for blogging purposes, I took some great photos I might use as finals!