Sweet Art: Poise for Illustration Friday

poise [pronounced poiz] / noun /  dignified, self-confident manner or bearing; composure; self-possession: to show poise in company.

If ever there were a cake to embody the idea of this week's Illustration Friday theme of poise, it's got to be the Princess Cake. Regal and lovely, it's somehow not too showy; while it may not be a cake that is especially easy to make, when it does get made for special occasions, it's delicious enough to appeal to a variety of appetites; it's truly the people's princess (cake).

Sweet Art: Subtract for Illustration Friday

Does a proliferance of cupcakes subtract from their awesomeness? At least a couple of cynics seem to think so. But personally, I say shun the nonbelievers!

This sweet piece was done for Illustration Friday, where this week's theme is "subtract".

Taking it to the Sweet: Cupcake Street Art Takes Over the World!

When we recently did a cupcake street art installation in Seattle, we had no idea that it would garner such a reaction--we've gotten so much love and support, and the project was even featured on KCRW's Good Food!

Since then, we've received numerous emails from artists, crafters and bakers interested in spreading the sweetness in their own cities. We love this idea.

Want to take part?

Your mission, should you choose to accept: 

• Spread sweetness throughout your neighborhood or city by making up a batch of sweet (but not delicious) cakes--here's a tutorial on how we made ours--and leave them in unexpected spots for others to discover, with the idea that this will brighten people's day.
• Help us document the project! Most importantly, take pictures! Send them--and your stories--to jessieoleson@gmail.com and we'll write about your experiences!
• Spread the word! Put the CakeSpy URL (or your own, if applicable) on the back of the little affixed flags, so that people can read about the project if they are the lucky ones who find the cakes out on the street. 

Sweet Art: Legendary for Illustration Friday

This week's Illustration Friday theme is Legendary, and what characters could be more memorable than that snarky British duo Eddy and Patsy from Absolutely Fabulous? As cupcakes, their boozy fillings would be nothing short of legendary!

Sweet Art: Intricate for Illustration Friday

Have you ever heard of Illustration Friday? Well. If not, the rules are simple:

Illustration Friday is a weekly illustration challenge. A topic is posted every Friday and then participants have all week to come up with their own interpretation.

This week, the theme was "Intricate"--and what could be a sweeter interpretation than a fancy, perhaps ever-so-slightly haughty cupcake in an intricately decorated room?

Have a sweet weekend!

A Sweet Proposal: Love, CakeSpy and Marriage

A note from Head Spy Jessie:

By profession, I am an illustrator specializing in portraits of anthropomorphic cupcakes. As such, I'm sure you can imagine the delightfully unusual requests for custom artwork I've gotten: cupcakes and a client's pet being chased by the Sta-Puft marshmallow man; an aggressive cupcake brawl; horror-movie inspired cupcakes--the list goes on and on. 

But last week, I delivered one of my sweetest commissions to date: a series of four paintings to be used as part of a marriage proposal. 

The first painting showed the happy couple flying into San Francisco for the weekend (shown top);

The second painting showed them having dinner at a fancy restaurant overlooking the Bay Bridge;

The third one showed them in a photobooth at the Musee Mecanique, where the photos coming out showed the actual proposal going on;

And finally, the happy couple back at home and enjoying some pizza at their regular place.

The artwork was delivered on Friday, and the proposal happened over Valentine's Day weekend; of course (duh!) she said yes, and the couple couldn't be happier. 

I live in a saccharine world for sure--but this one really made me melt like a puddle of ice cream on hot pie. It was such a pleasure to be part of such a sweet moment.

Taking it to the Sweet: A Cupcake Street Art Installation

Sometimes life sucks. We're talking about the little things that can wear on you in a big way: long commutes; waiting in line; dealing with rude people; being broke.

It was with these stressors in mind that we dreamed up an installation project small in scope but big in touchy-feeliness: we made a batch of fake cupcakes with uplifting phrases attached, and placed them throughout our neighborhood. 

Told you it was touchy-feely.

Here's what we did:

First, we made up a batch of faux cupcakes using plaster of paris. (Cakespy Note: If doing it again we might not use the silicone baking cups though, because they have a built-in fill line which showed up in our finished cakes.)

Then we attached little flags to each, with cute sayings.

Then came the fun part: we let 'em loose around town. Here are some of the highlights:

A park bench got a whole lot sweeter with a cupcake that said "You're super sweet";

On top of a "No Parking" sign, a cupcake declared "People like you. Really";

Atop some foliage, stressed passersby are reminded to "Remain Calm";

Perched atop a hydrant, one cupcake urges you to "Eat More Cake";

On someone's garden patio, there's a reminder to "Relax!";

At a bus stop, weary travelers are told to "Have a very sweet day!";

Smokers may want to be cool, but this cupcake urges them to "Stay Cute!";

On an entryway, one cupcake reminds that "You deserve a treat";

And finally, an ATM got a whimsical upgrade with a cupcake bearing the saying "The economy will be OK".

But on to the big question: Why?

Well, it's not too complicated. You know that we're strange little darlings, we spies. We liked the idea that the novelty of finding such an unusual art object in an unexpected spot might give viewer pause. Perhaps coming across one of these little cupcakes it made them smile, or maybe it annoyed them as a piece of rubbish. Maybe it made them scratch their head and wonder why. But in any instance, the ultimate goal was a repreive--a momentary escape from everyday worries, and a small reminder that yes, life can be strange--but sometimes sweet.

What happened to the cupcakes? Beats us, though if you live in Seattle, you might just find a sweet surprise where you least expect it.

Holiday Sweetness: A Roundup of Custom Holiday Artwork

Some may say that the joy of the season comes from giving, but we know the truth is the most fun part is the getting--and the ripping open--of awesome presents. Cakespy art figured into giving and getting this year; here is just a small sampling of some of the fun custom commissions which were opened (to extreme joy, hopefully!) this holiday season:

For one lucky Seattle baker, a portrait of her family (as cupcakes) near the Space Needle;

For another Seattle family, a portrait with bunnies;

For one family of music, book and cupcake enthusiasts, a family portrait (complete with their other Cakespy artwork in the background);

For another recipient, this puppy-and-Cuppie;

As a surprise commission for the proprietress of a rubber stamp company, a crafty little Cuppie;

As another sweet surprise for someone really sweet, a multilayered diorama;

For a dear friend, a collection of memories and inside jokes;

For another, Cuppie becomes muse for a playwright recipient;

Of course, all of this being quite exhausting, we'll close out with a trip to the scenic Taal Volcano in the Philippines.

Thank you so much for your business and fun orders in 2008!

Eat Your Art Out: Sweet Masterpieces by Patianne Stevenson

Cakespy note: The above cupcake is sweet, but not delicious: it's made of cardboard!

What's so awesome about dessert? Well, there's the obvious answer--everything! But if pressed, we might say that our favorite aspect is that it's such a simple and attainable luxury--something that can so easily turn around a bad day, make an event special--something that just makes life sweeter. Literally.

And that sweetness is celebrated beautifully with Art on the Menu, a collection of artwork by Seattle-based Patianne Stevenson. We're equal parts in love with her painterly renditions of sweets, and completely awe of her painstaking cardboard renditions of dainty desserts (yes--the pictures to the left are made of cardboard!). Our Head Spy Jessie recently wrote a story about her for DailyCandy Seattle, and in researching it got to pick her brain a bit about her art; here's what we learned!

Desperately seeking sweetness: who is the artist?

I am a real foodie, and an artist. That's Art On The Menu: a life combing both my loves. I am formally trained in the visual arts, however cooking and baking are also an art form for me. Place painting, sculpture, cooking and baking in the bowl and stir until incorporated. They each have the quality of creating something from something. In my life, this not only gives me the picture perfect subject, I get to eat it later! Tasting my subjects is part of the process. And there is never a lack inspiration. At times a painting or cardboard sculpture will begin with a recipe which I will make; at other times I just have to eat french fries for dinner...all these moments are inspirational. If I don't have a feeling for what's next in the studio, I "go out". Going out can mean anything from visiting a bakery to shopping the farmers market, or simply discussing food with my foodie friends.

What's the story behind her process?

I seem to have the "deconstructing" nature that I notice in the prose of professional food writers. They are able tell you about the meal, including the look, taste, and ambiance, by poetically describing the parts. I too focus on the bits and parts of a meal to evoke the whole. Rather than words, I use color, pattern, texture and shape. This is how I approach my work, including commissions, which can be anything from depicting a family recipe, to creating a site and color specific piece for that little slice of wall under a cabinet and above the counter in a client's kitchen. It's the same process with my cardboard sculpture. Although it is three dimensional, cardboard has color, pattern, texture and shape. I especially love the inconsistencies and little imperfections that arise in the final pieces from the "Cardboard Kitchen". It's just like finished recipes from the other kitchen in that way, but without the oven of course!

Why does she do it?

I love painting sweets! They're always beautiful, happy, and fun. But, my favorite baked subject has to be the cupcake! The variations are endless. It's like a fashion show! Enrobing can run from classic buttercream to the cupcake encrusted with the most outrageously gorgeous colors and fondant decorations. Even the outer garment, the paper cup, can make a stylish appearance. And of course there's the cake as the surprise. I just bought a little beauty to paint from a local bakery. The cake is pineapple rum flavored. I am so excited! So now I have to admit I also love to eat them. I think of it as eating a whole cake at once!

On her hometown:

We Seattlites are incredibly lucky to have many truly wonderful cafes, bistros, restaurants, and bakeries. I can never decide on just where to take visitors, unless I have a month. And are we ever blessed in the cupcake department! We not only have several very well known bakeries dedicated to the cupcake, we have a head spinning array of bakeries producing delicious, elegant, high quality gemlike cupcakes! Are we in heaven?

What's next?

That's easy...there is so much beautiful food out there!

Wanna buy some art?

Large format paintings are available through the artist's website, artonthemenu.com. Small format paintings, and cardboard sculpture are available through her etsy shop, artonthemenu.etsy.com.

Cake Byte: Sweet News from Cakespy

Looking to add a little sweetness to your life this July? Well, if you happen to be in Seattle, head over to Ballard--there are not one but two Cakespy Art Shows up this month!

The first option is Sweet Posie, which is tucked behind Anchor Tattoo near the intersection of Market and 24th--it's one of the tiniest and cutest little cafes we've ever seen, and they have killer Red Velvet Cupcakes. And all through July, they have original Acrylic paintings by our dear Head Spy Jessie! A bit of a change of pace, but the lovely texture of acrylic paint is so tantalizingly like frosting to work with--and it's clear from these delicious paintings! Sweet Posie Cafe, 2315 N.W. Market St. Seattle, WA 98105. Phone: 206-784-0303. Hours: 6 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays; online at sweetposie.com.

The second option is Venue, an awesome art gallery and retail space just off of Old Ballard Avenue. Cakespy original watercolors (featuring the beloved  and mischievous L'il Cuppie character) are available at Venue's retail store, but this month Cakespy is the featured artist. What does that mean? That means you should get over to Ballard this Saturday evening for the Art Walk--a bunch of the Cakespy crew will be on hand, as will heaps of cupcakes and freely flowing wine! If that doesn't sound like a good time, we don't know what does. Venue, 5408 22nd Ave. NW, Seattle, WA 98107; online at venueballard.com.