Food for Thought: A Celebration of Food in Art at Cannon Art Gallery

by Patricia Frischer www.artproCA.com

Food For Thought: A Celebration of Food in Art opens on Sat, Sept. 5 from 5 - 7 p.m and explores the use of food as both conceptual and formal tool in contemporary art. Artists include TR Colletta, Einar and Jamex de la Torre, Irene de Watteville, Sienna Degovia, Anthony Enyedy, Daryl Gortner, Alex Gross, Raul Guerrero, Kenny Harris, F. Scott Hess, Pamela Michelle Johnson, Laurie Hogin, Lori Larusso, Dave Lefner, Mark Licari, Jean Lowe, Nikki Moore, Betsy Schulz, Laura Swytak, Robert Townsend and Jean Wells.. From Sept 6 to Nov 8 at Cannon Art Gallery (1775 Dove Lane, Carlsbad, 92011) More info: Jillian Buccola  760-602-2021

This amazing exhibition is outstanding simply because of the quality of the art work on display.  The subject unifies the view and I find that helpful when looking at a group exhibition. It is less distracting and one can concentrate on the point of view. Here we see light hearted, dadesque, historic traditional and fanciful views of objects with which  we are all familiar. The only confusing thing for me was if I was desirous of the art image or of the actual food. 

Jean Lowe's plates alternated from animal that we eat to the eyes of those animals starring back at us. Raul Guerrero's fast food containers become human portraits. Irene de Watteville's ceramic centerpiece is both a women and a fish. Anthony Enyedy paints the transparency of an oranges segments with luscious clarity. Laurie Hogin presents the strangest little monkey eating a cup cake. I think I have a statue of that monkey and maybe that is where my cupcakes have been disappearing. Sienna Degovia gave us a spit turning Mother's frosted animal crackers and this was a highlight for me. I ate so many of those while a college that I swore off of them forever. Rotisserie cooking of those animals is pay back. Mark Lucari birthday cake in flames from the sheer volumn of candles speaks to all of us over 60. 

Thanks to Karen McGuire and her excellent team for this succulent show and for stepping up the gourmet treats at the reception which became performance art as we chowed down. 

Irene de Watteville, Jean Lowe, Raul Guerrero, Lori Larusso, Anthony Enyedy,
and Jamex and Einar de la Torre

Raul Guerrero

Raul Guerrero

Jamex and Einar de la Torre

Jamex and Einar de la Torre

Irene de Watteville

Anthony Enyedy

Laurie Hogin

Sienna Degovia

F. Scott Hess

Mark Licari

Amazing individual cheese boards that were part of the food served at the
reception for Food for Thought.