Commission Story: Marc and Nicoles Custom Anniversary Gift

Every Wednesday I am going to be bringing you the stories behind some of my favorite commissions! Since it's Valentine's Day, we'll stick with the theme of love. Here is the story of Marc's custom anniversary gift to his wife Nicole!

I met Marc and Nicole on the food tour I lead in Boston and we got to talking about the amazing food-filled trip they took to Italy the summer before. Marc showed me all of their pictures and decided on a photo from a fantastic charcuterie place they visited as the one for his painting.

Marc and Nicole in Italy

He told me it was a gorgeous sunny day (hence her sunglasses!) and he wanted to make sure the colors of the painting captured that. I decided to stay true to the colors in the original photo while pumping up the saturation and vibrancy.

I started by transferring the photo to the canvas and filling in all of the color blocks

Then I started adding layers of color.

Most of the colors of the original photograph were incorporated into the finished piece to really capture the memory of being in Italy on that beautiful sunny day.

Then it was time for my favorite part of the painting process, adding the details to make the charcuterie board really pop.

Details!

My favorite elements were the charcuterie board (obviously) and their faces. I love capturing that special moment of pure happiness with someone you love. And the pop of teal on the table ties everything together for me. This was definitely a trip AND a special anniversary gift I'm sure Marc and Nicole will cherish forever.

The final painting

Capturing moments like this are why I paint food! That charcuterie board is long gone, but Marc and Nicole can keep the memory forever.

Do you have a favorite food memory with someone you love? Are you looking for a creative and unique anniversary gift for someone special? Head over to my commissions page and let's get started on YOUR custom painting.

Welcome!

Welcome to my new website and blog! In case the title of this website didn't give it away, my name is Laurel, I am a food-obsessed painter living in Boston, and this whole website is devoted to my love of food and art.

In short, I help my food-loving clients capture their most treasured food memories in a custom painting for their home or as a unique and extremely meaningful gift so they can savor the memory long after the meal is over.

Here you'll find the stories behind my work, catch a glimpse of new projects, and see some of the things that inspire me on a daily basis.

So why food?

The short answer is, because it's always been about food.

In my family, all of the little moments revolved around food and as far back as I can remember, all of my most treasured memories include food. I was born in Atlanta and when I was really little, my dad and I would spend time together every Sunday by going to Waffle House just the two of us to sit at "the high counter" and eat scrambled eggs, hash browns (scattered and chunked), and chewy bacon (chewy. not crispy!)

As I got older we started watching Emeril on Food Network and later became obsessed with Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives, often altering family trips to squeeze in some great place Guy had visited on TV.

We ate dinner around the table almost every night with my parents, brother, sister, and I sitting in our designated spots every time. At the beginning of every meal we played "High Low," where each of us took turns sharing the best and worst parts of our day as a way to check in with each other.

I guess I learned from an early age that the best way to spend quality time with someone was by sharing a meal with them.

Food, specifically dessert, has also played a comforting role for my family and myself. I come from a long line of people with highly overactive sweet tooths (sweet teeth?). I have seen my grandfather and two great aunts go to town on a Baskin Robbins ice cream cake armed just with spoons and no plates more times than I can count on one hand.

When my family moved from Atlanta to Poughkeepsie New York when I was 12, I distinctly remember one of our first nights in our new town. Our new house wasn't quite move-in-ready yet and we were staying at a little dog-friendly motel nearby. There was a Friendly's down the road and we decided to go there for dinner. After we ate, the five of us shared a giant ice cream sundae full of hot fudge, peanut butter, and whipped cream. In my head this thing was the size of a giant fish bowl. Looking back, I'm sure it wasn't that big, but it sticks with me because in that moment we were sharing something so special and delicious and it didn't matter that we had just left our entire lives behind us to move somewhere new. We had ice cream and we had each other and I kind of knew that it was going to be ok.

As I got older and my love of food kept growing, I turned to painting it as a way to preserve memories of meals past. The food was gone and the memory of it only lived in my mind. The best way to capture it in a tangible way was to put it on canvas!

So. I am so excited to share more food stories with you as this site grows and evolves. I am also equally excited to bring YOUR food memories to life in a way you can cherish forever.

-Laurel

This is me eating a Baskin Robbins ice cream cake with a spoon directly off the tray circa 2013. I think it really captures my essence LOL