Weâve always been fans of eco friendly artwork and have reported about latest in recycled art that can be carved from a variety of materials ranging from kitchen waste to automobile waste. While some like to create metallic pieces of art from waste metal, others simply show their creative skills in creating art from vegetables and fruits. Here is a list of ten such artists who create everything from funny-looking faces to landscapes using vegetables and other edible material as their canvas.
1. Food sculptures by Saxton Freymann
A painter by profession, Saxton Freymann around 1997 thought of experimenting with few fruits and vegetables. He used X-acto knife to carve vegetables and fruits and illustrated some very amusing and imaginative patterns. He skillfully transformed the simple garden vegetables and fruits into expressive faces and amazing animals. Peppercorn eyes, mouths and corn teeth etc were added to enhance the looks. The color and form of vegetables and fruits are chosen effectively keeping in mind the pattern that is to be created. Saxton says that the characters come out of the vegetable or fruit itself. You just have to work a little bit to change it into something it resembles.
2. Jim Victor Food Sculptures
Jim Victor, 63 years old from Pennsylvania, USA has a unique passion of making effigies using butter whose temperature is maintained below 13 degrees. The low temperature prevents melting of butter and makes it behave like clay. Some of his famous creations include model of a cow riding a motor bike, girl carrying milk and one another girl wearing a bikini lying on a bed. He has also carved a model of a farm showing a farmer milking a cow. Reason behind using butter for making sculptures is that it is very easy to mould. He completed his first model in 1995 to honor The Battle of the Bulge. He has also made effigies of movie stars Mickey Rooney, Robin Williams and Louis Armstrong using chocolate.
3. Sophie Albrightâs Thai Fruit and Vegetable Carvings
Sophie Albright is a renowned Thai Fruit and Vegetable master carver. Her expertise and dexterity could be illustrated from the fact that most of her students are doing very well all around the world. Some are food decorators or special caterers and some are well known chefs.
4. Toast Portraits by Maurice Bennett
Maurice Bennett has the amazing talent of making portraits with the help of toasts. Thousands of bread slices are used and toasted in different manners to underline various skin highlights and shadows. These portraits are displayed usually in public places visible from a far off distance to gain the best view.
5. Pumpkin Carvings by Ray Villafane
Ray Villafabe, an American model designer and an art teacher, takes only two hours to create miraculous and detailed portraits out of pumpkin. He uses spoons and scalpel to sculpt these magical models. Ray says that heavy and solid pumpkins are best suited for this art. This art has made him world famous and he is treated as a celebrity in his State.
6. The Cheese Sculptures of Sarah Kaufmann
Sarah Kaufmann, a young talented woman created a life-size sculpture of astronaut Neil Armstrong made out of Wisconsin cheddar cheese. It was to go on display this week at the Neil Armstrong Air & Space Museum in Wapakoneta, Ohio. Unfortunately, the air conditioners at the museum are turned off every night to save energy, and the statue started melting and slid off of its base.
7. Carl Warner’s food landscapes
Carl Warner, a photographer from London, has impressed the world by his artistic ability. He has made food landscapes using vegetables like cabbage, potatoes, and broccoli. He has carved cabbage superbly in form of sea and storm, trees using broccoli and mountains using potatoes.
8. Christel Assante, egg shell carver
Christel Assante is known for painting and carving all types of egg shells. She has worked on eggs of different species ranging from quailâs egg to an ostrichâs egg. She has carved faces, scenic views, animals and various other amazing designs on these egg shells.
9. Ju Duoqi â The Queen of Vegetable Art
The last Supper and Mona Lisa have been re-sculptured by a Chinese artist, Ju Duoqi using vegetables of various shapes and sizes. She started this art in 2006 with her first model known as Pea Beauty Pageant. Different colors and textures were provided by using frying, boiling, and rotten vegetables. For her it is an environmental way of blending art and life together.
10. The Cheesy Art of Prudence Staite
British food artist Prudence Staite has carved various magnificent portraits and sculptures of celebrities using low mature cheese. She has also used chocolate and jelly beans for sculpting. Her work, Cheesy Art is being displayed at kings Road Gallery in Chelsea, London.