I am inspired by the colors and forms I
see every day and close at hand in the garden, produce store, market, kitchen, and restaurant. A well-stocked produce stand
or farmer’s market with its produce all neatly arranged is, to my eyes, an art form in itself.
Fruits and vegetables are objects I sculpt by hand in blown-up scale as a celebration of color and form. I am attracted to glass as a medium for this purpose because of its sculptural potential, glossiness,
and ability to express vibrant color. Variations in color and form, both natural and unnatural, offer endless combinations,
and working each piece by hand results in individual works that are unique. I have long been fond of the cherry form, with
its creased flesh and long smooth stem, but I am enjoying exploring a variety of forms.
Drawing inspiration from fruit and vegetables
as I see them in an urban setting causes me to think about how the equation of beauty with goodness (in this case, of taste)
has changed in our society. The bulk of produce sold in markets today is grown and further manipulated more for beauty of
presentation and longer shelf-life than goodness of taste. You will not see varieties that taste good
but bruise easily or won’t last long
at the supermarket. It seems to me that because people prefer to buy produce that looks
good , we have conditioned ourselves to accept the limited range of goodness of taste that is available. When I bought
a beautiful but expensive Forelle pear at a San Francisco market that came from South
Africa, I went out and made one in glass. After
I used it as a model, and still seduced by its beauty, I found it was one of the worst tasting, mealy pears I have had in
quite awhile.
A large, good-looking—but ultimately
hollow and tasteless—glass fruit or vegetable reveals the power of this
seduction. In my current work, I focus more explicitly on how the beauty of produce is used to seduce people to consume it.
I am working on a large-scale interpretation of the traditional produce crate—a fine historical example of seductive
advertising—with labels that reference the works in glass that I have created and, in keeping with its original intention,
serves as a way of presenting the works. I am also enjoying trying my hand at
drawing, imaging, printing, and woodworking.
—Mitch LaPlante
