Josh Brusin

josh brusin

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josh brusin

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Untitled 2014 20x30 egg cast iron

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Untitled 2014 20x30 egg cast iron

Brush Strokes 2014 8"x5" applecarbon aluminum

Candy & Ceramic 2012 14"8" ceramicsugar board

Candy & Ceramic 2012 14"8" ceramicsugar

Glace 2014 20x30 digital print beeswax

Egg Study 2014 20x30 digital print

Peel 2014 12"x12"x6" orange porcelain parrafin

Untitled 2012 16x20 figs parrafin masonite

Untitled 2012 16"x20" thyme parrafin board

Untitled 2012 rosemary encaustic oil canvas

Untitled 2012 13x13 carrot encaustic

Untitled 2012 6"x5" fish wax styrofoam

Untitled 20x30 pork corn mushroom parrafin board

STATEMENT Food plays a role across nearly all facets of life. At its core, food is one or more ingredients: animal, vegetable, mineral, etc. When these things are seen as food, their intrinsic meaning changes. The layers of association that people bring to food further serves to build-in additional meaning. A pig in the form of bacon may mean breakfast to some people. Chicken, blending with carrots, celery and onions to become broth, can likewise mean wellness or simply “mom.” When people taste and smell these things a rich tapestry of stories comes to life. Food is an extremely broad label. There are many ways for food to be defined before it is consumed. Meals are food that is combined and served at specific times and for specific functions. Food is a key part of prayer and ritual. For all these reasons, there may not be any medium with the richness and diversity of food. From a conceptual standpoint, food already possesses meaning that can be extremely personal. It is already quite a medium! Why food doesn’t play a more significant role in art is something that has intrigued me for the past decade. Whether dehydrating carrots and thyme for encaustic work or spinning sugar into cotton then pressing it into paper, the mechanics and technology around our food have revolutionized things, increased food’s durability, and changed its physical properties. EndFragment

In 2012 I conceived of the Unique Dinner Series and began adding conceptual meaning to the meal. I created an achromatic dinner, 16 Courses of Black, with renowned Chef Homaro Cantu who said “It’s about as extreme as high-end dining gets.” People flew in from both coasts curious to attend and experience the meal. Subsequent concepts included the investigation of the technical narratives of food with Antiquity, in collaboration with Chef Chris Pandel that adhered to 13th century recipes largely dominated by offal and an absence of salt. People from all walks enjoyed the surprise of the sensory experience and appreciated the meaning of each concept. M y goal moving forward is to begin to include the use of cooking techniques and ingredients in a studio environment. Does work that can technically be edible have to be eaten? Does work that is to be eaten have to taste good, be filling, or nutritious? To be considered food, do things have to even be physically consumed? How can flavor and fragrance narratives come to life in a gallery? Exploring these broad concepts only serves as a starting point. EndFragment

A foundation in figurative study iniated the development of a strong hand, an emphasis on gestural observation and the reliance on the inherant meaning of the posture of the figure. Years as a consulting board member and artist in residence with the Fire Arts Center in Chicago were spent exploring the dichotomies between techical and story narratives in art and how subject matter and medium dominated that exploration.

FROM FIGURE TO FOOD

How figure drawings serve to underpin the use of food in art is simple as there is always a story narrative and always a technical narrative. Using food and the techniques of food-making serves as a new jumping off point to apply observation to create new work.