Imagine Chocolate Torte with Ganache and piped rosettes, a chocolate cupcake with chocolate fondant roses and sprinkles or a Lemon Tart with piped whipped cream rosettes. And these succulent desserts are all extremely easy on the planet.
Food artist Patianne Stevenson makes these mouth-watering creations with recycled cardboard. She claims her Art On The Menu project, created in her Cardboard Kitchen, is not a commentary on the North American food system so we caught up with her to find out just why she is making these sumptuous recycled creations.
Please tell us about Art on the Menu.
Art On The Menu is the bowl in which I mix both my loves: art and food.
Why did you decide to make cardboard renditions of food?
My inspiration for The Cardboard Kitchen grew out of my love for recycled cardboard sculpture, which I had done in the past, and my love for food imagery which I focus on as an artist.
Is the Cardboard Kitchen a commentary on North America's food system?
I have had many clients mention that is how they "see" The Cardboard Kitchen sculptures. And, I am personally interested in solutions to the many facets of the global food crisis and how our food is produced, but none of this is on my mind when I am cooking in The Cardboard Kitchen.
Is this a green project?
All the cardboard in my food sculpture is recycled. Foraging for recycled cardboard is an art form in itself. The cardboard has to be clean, dry, interesting and possess those intrinsic qualities that I look for. It's a challenge.
Why do you create with cardboard
Cardboard is beautiful. It's a limitless array of colors, textures and shapes. I see an unending palette when I look in a recycle bin. Part of the appeal of cardboard as a medium is problem solving the challenges of using it. And because no two boxes are the same really, there is no template to follow. Each piece has to be constructed differently. The construction technique is dictated by the material. And, all the sculptures are hand cut and hand glued. A typical cupcake can have up to 75 pieces, although all of the pieces may not necessarily be visible. I just finished a large-scale project: it had over 750 pieces that were all cut, fitted and glued by hand. I worked on it on and off for a month.
Are the sculptures in the Cardboard Kitchen all desserts?
Not all the sculptures are desserts, but desserts are fun because they are always dressed up! They have frostings, cherries, sprinkles, chocolate curls, and all manner of embellishments. 
How do you choose a food item to create as a cardboard sculpture?
That is part of the magic. Sometimes I see a box, and it tells me what it will become. At other times I am just compelled to create a certain food item, but I have to wait until the "right" box shows up when I am foraging. It's just like the process in the "other" kitchen. You ask yourself "what should I make for dinner?” and the answer appears.
Will you be making more? If so, what are you planning?
Right now in The Cardboard Kitchen I have several recipes going: coconut cake, a burger and fries, and a box of chocolates. I would like to do a buffet for 12 one day.
How long does it take to make one of the sculptures?
These are one of a kind pieces, and not made in a production method. And since not all cardboard is created equal, I have to adjust my construction method to the material I have. And, I am usually working on several pieces at once, so it is difficult to judge just how long a single piece will take. I can say every piece that is used in a single sculpture has to be cut and glued by hand, so I rotate my cutting, fitting and gluing from piece to piece all day long.
Are they for sale? Definitely! I sell these through my website. I also have an Etsy store for smaller pieces.
Visit: http://www.patiannestevenson.com/
Via: Inhabitat
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I write articles on Associated Content and would love to write one about your food art and how I felt when I first saw them. I would also love to add a few of the pictures, but would need your permission , in writing, to use them.
written by SondraC , April 30, 2010