For my Fabulous Forgeries entry in this year's exhibition at The Artists Gallery in Virginia Beach, I chose Audrey Flack's Strawberry Tart Supreme. When I was teaching high school, this painting was one of my students' favorites. I like to choose a woman artist for my entry and since Audrey Flack works from photographed still life objects on a large format, she was perfect for me to copy. My painting is only 18" x 18", but the original by Audrey Flack is 54" x 60 1/4".....huge!
Audrey Flack is an American painter and sculptor, born May 30, 1931. She is a Photo-realist painter and was one of the first painters to use the projection of a photograph as an aid to painting. Her paintings, although realistic, also carry a sociopolitical message. Other paintings of hers that my students' loved to talk about and interpret are Royal Flush and Marilyn.
Strawberry Tart Supreme is monumental in size and when we behold the original, we are overwhelmed by the luscious desserts. The viewer salivates over the gleaming surfaces of sugary glazes and fluffy icings. And then, the after effect of so much sugar can make us quesy and a little sick........seductive and repulsive at the same time.
If you want to see the orginial, it is located in Oberlin, OH at The Allan Memorial Art Museum on the campus of Oberlin College.
The exhibition at The Artists Gallery runs the month of January and the Opening Reception is Friday, January 12th from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Hope to see you there.