Chef Illustrations by Pennsylvania Artist Kolene Spicher

From Poissonnier, Pastry and Dessert, and

Line Cook,  to the Saucier!

Types of Chefs 

I love to cook and I love a good chef.  Who doesn't.  One of my favorite past times ( I am reluctant to say is eating out).  I consider food a presentation an art when it's done correctly.  I love this little guy with his red checkered apron.  He just might be the Chef de Cuisine!  I love all cooking shows from Giada to Rachel Ray to Martha Stewart to Guy F.  I love them all.  What fun.  (IF I didn't mention your favorite show, it's because I am having a brain fade incident, but I watch them all!)

What's your fav pizza? 

I don't know what a pizza chef is called.  Before today, I would probably have said that he was in the Line Cook Category, but you know I am not so sure.  It takes some skill to throw a pizza.   I looked it up on Google and they call him a Pizzalolos or pizzaioli.  So there you have it!  Pizza, pizza! 

I think people are really interested in cupcakes.  Kids especially love to make them and so do adults, really.  I enjoy a good cupcake and so I thought, I must do a cupcake chef.  The icing is my fav part.  Make it ganache, please.  And chocolate.  

The Patissier! 

Even though the background is dark, these project light.  They just do.  They look lovely in my light white kitchen.  (See Below). 

The Saucier! 

These guys have an important job in the kitchen.  Sauces really are at the heart of cooking and understanding how to put them together, let me tell you, isn't the easiest of things to do.  You have to have a critical understanding of how one food affects another.  You have to understand proportions and how they affect overall flavor.  And don't forget that harmless spice that you think just a little will do...well, if it taste like licorice, DON'T use it.  LOL.  One time, I added too much Tarragon or Anise or fennel (can't remember) and oh boy.  Soup went into trash.  No one would eat it.  See, I don't have that critical understanding... sigh.  

Fruit pies, desserts, custards--THE DESSERT CHEF. 

I THINK a pastry chef and a dessert chef are different things.  I specifically love pastries but know that I am not a natural at making pie dough.  I love puff pastry, and I love filo, yet, I can not make either.  These guys have some talent! 

Lastly, I have the fish fry!  The poissonnier!  Oh how I love fish.  Check her out!  She's not quite finished. I believe that I will do one more beside these five, a meat cook chef or a Rotisseur! 

The Poissonneir (not to be confused with the poisoner) LOL 

Thanks for looking and now I am hungry! 

Take care. 

ENJOY. 

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Vintage looking pressed flowers

THE CHESAPEAKE COLLECTION 

THE ART OF pressing  REAL FLOWERS and 

turning THEM into LIVE stamps. 

I am really excited about these and have been working on this project ALL summer.  I went to the Chesapeake Bay and while on walks, I gathered fresh flowers and weeds along the roadside,  painting them, pressing them, and then turning them into 'stamps' that were used for art.  

These will be taken to High Point Wholesale MARKET  in October.   We exhibit in the Commerce and Design building!  There about 24 of them!  I hope you enjoy!  

I really love the colors on this one 

A splash of red for fall! 

I am unsure how I will have the framed but am going to be hanging then in my house sometime very soon.  Here is the whole lot of them thrown on my extra large dining room table!  

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Whimsical Impressionistic Windows, Part 2

A window is only but a  partial glimpse of what is inside... 

~Kolene Spicher  

I love all the movement 

I have always been a fan of Van Gogh.  What was going thru his mind when he created all that movement.  Maybe he was running a marathon in his brain.  

ON the water, my dream 

Oh, how I wish I had a place on the water with a window like this that opened up to a vast body of water.  In my dream, there is no land, only 1850s sailboats.  JUST kidding. 

I love all the bright colors, there are some bright oranges mixed in to this painting that make your eye travel around the piece.  

Same house, different window

This painting has the same basic view as the one above it.  I love the golden drape with the crown over the window.  I would not want to price a drape like this, very costly.  I might not paint my window red, either, but it's good for a painting.  

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My other house is in town, downtown Paris 

LOVE the colors on this one, too.  These may be challenging to frame... I am thinking of buying some old frames that are beat up and aged with antique glass and painting them Paris Green.  

Other favorite past time...eating 

Ok, just imagine having a bakery like this down the street.  If you live in the country, you will want to buy this print.  You can live the life thru the artwork on your walls.  Hopefully, your art makes you feel happy.  That is my goal.  

Here are the four of them.  Please look at my post Whimsical Impressionistic Windows, Part 1 to see the other paintings from this series.  I have two more to go... 

Enjoy! 

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Another 3-D Mermaid, Part 2

The Pencil Sketch 

The Loaves and the fishes 

I have been busy painting the background on this custom piece and am ready to start painting the mermaid.  I need a good solid pencil drawing before I proceed.  I want to make sure it is just the way I imagine it.   

Antique Field Book, 1929 

I have always adored this book.  I thought the fish on it were so pretty.  I used this for my inspiration when drawing in the fish.  The mermaid is carrying a shell filled with fish and a few loaves of bread.  

I spent a lot of time on the shape of her tail, too.  When you look at her tail, you can sort of see the legs within the shape.  This was what I was aiming for for the final pencil draft. 

I hope you are not distracted by the color of the paper on this, I left it the way it was because I felt it added some interest.  It will have no impact whatsoever on the final painting.  

The inside of this book is full of mostly pencil illustrations, which I really enjoyed looking at.  

Recognize her?  

This is from my favorite pasta box.  I snapped a picture of it a long time ago.  I think this girl's posture is so beautiful.  I LOVE IT.  I used this for my inspiration for my mermaid, although, my lady is much older and mature.  You can sort of get the idea from this exactly what I was trying to accomplish.  

This mermaid is going to have (at its final destination) a back drop that is a light grey.  The customer lives at the beach and this will go to the left of her kitchen.  Although, I don't have the exact color, I do have one room in my home that is a light grey.  To get a feeling of what that might look like, I have included a picture.  

This shell tray was painted long ago by me.  I have always liked it and have kept it over the years moving it from
room to room.  What do you think of that light?  That was a goodwill purchase.  It was an ugly brown with an even uglier shade.  I replaced the shade and sprayed it white, selecting some of my favorite shells to go inside.  

I have a big frame that just happens to be the exact size of the frame that this will go into when finished.  The final frame will not be gold leafed.  It will be a walnut color (no sienna) and will be hand grained.  

The little guy in the back ground will be there in the big piece, too, but he will be catching a very specific type
of fish.  Check back to see what it is!!

Just to keep it fresh in your head, this is the reference piece that the customer seen and loved.  Can you tell that she is 3-D?  Can you see the shadow on her tail?  

The painting that I am custom doing is larger than this one (below) but you can get the feel.  

Check back soon for more images as I progress!  

Enjoy. 

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