MeNU

“MeNU (reads Me N U) is a part of my still-life food series depicting popular food items, intended to make the viewer recall specific instances when they have eaten these foods; this could result in various feelings or emotions, such as nostalgia, comfort, or tradition. All of these foods are easily identifiable, and nearly everyone has eaten them at some point in their lives due to their popularity. While they are delicious, I am questioning why else they are so popular. These foods, along with numerous other unhealthy choices, are much cheaper than most foods with a greater nutritional value, resulting in our impoverished communities becoming obese due to lack of better options. 

My paintings are meant to explore personal experiences among viewers through their intimate nature. I create still life paintings of foods, scenery, and objects that are fairly popular and easily identifiable. By utilizing such familiar imagery, there are many emotions and personal connections that can coincide with these works, allowing every viewer to have a different individual experience. While many of the objects in my paintings could be considered mundane, everyday objects and places, I find that we often take these aspects of life for granted. My goal is to show the beautiful sides of common realities. While one particular scene or object may be ordinary or meaningless to some, it may allow another person to recall fond memories. Sitting down for a meal with family or friends, grabbing a snack before heading out the door, or even stopping at your favorite restaurant for a take-out meal are all experiences that we can relate to. Though these actions are common and may appear as just a form of sustenance rather than a deeper, more personal experience, different foods can often evoke specific feelings. Through these compositions of recognizable, popular foods, many emotions or memories may come to mind. Perhaps it will cause the viewer to recall a specific person, place, or time in their life. While many of my paintings consist of food itself, the same concepts apply to my other works that may include scenery or environments pertaining to restaurants that many people can relate to or reminisce upon. These paintings allow me to recall feelings such as nostalgia, comfort, and tradition. While the foods I paint are intended to look appetizing so that they are visually appealing, many of these foods have nearly no nutritional value. Many of my compositions include subjects such as desserts, pizza, and other junk foods. While these are all foods that we have undoubtedly eaten at one point or another, these compositions bring up a very prevalent issue. These foods and others like them are so popular mainly because they are inexpensive. Healthier choices are often far more expensive, and therefore less accessible for many. As poverty is a major issue in Appalachia, it is obvious that these unhealthy foods are more manageable for many to obtain, as they are popular and inexpensive. On the other hand, we face the issue of obesity that is rampant in not only our state, but our country as a whole. Because more nutritional foods are thought of as a luxury to many because of their high costs, it is simpler and more affordable to select the less healthy options, and the perpetuation of this issue undeniably contributes to our obesity epidemic. While my work is intended to evoke positive feelings of comfort, nostalgia, or specific memories, there are undoubtedly some troubling undertones to the subjects as I have stated, which contribute to their popularity.”