Mary Rearden exhibition, Gallery II in the Wolf Kahn Barn at Vermont Studio Center in Johnson
Opening Reception: Saturday May 5th at 7pm
Food has always held my interest as a subject because of its visual and emotional qualities. Junk food is designed, manufactured and marketed to appeal to the senses and one’s desire to fill a void. It is easy to vilify something as nutritionally empty as a Ring Ding, but it is impossible to deny its power to elicit nostalgia and delight.
Drawn from observation, each Ring Ding is as unique as a face. My drawings are small--I like how the tiny details invite the viewer to lean in to the work and really look at the glossy outer shell, the holey terrain of crumbs, and the mystifying poof of creamy center. The graphite makes an image that is accurate like a black and white photograph and yet slightly hazy like an old memory.
