Puffy Muffin - A mix of food and art

A couple of weeks ago, when my mom was out of town, my dad and I decided to go out for a Saturday brunch. We brainstormed about places to go and finally concluded that the Puffy Muffin was the choice of the day. So we scurried on over to the Brentwood hill center and grabbed a table. I generally go to the Puffy Muffin once a year with a mother-daughter book club, so it had been a while since I had entered the bakery. I looked around, and for the first time I noticed all the watercolors hanging on the walls. In fact there was one over the green booth we sat in. It wasn’t my favorite piece of artwork I’d ever seen, but it was interesting because the artist gave his/her paintings an almost transparent look by portraying reflected light. After returning home, I remembered my curiosity and googled ‘puffy muffin artists.’ I found her, Gail McDaniel; a local watercolor artist whose work in displayed in multiple places around the world. On her website, I found a whole collection of her work; all very similar to those that I saw at brunch. To the right is a painting of hers that I pulled from her website. I like the looks of this one more than the others because the shadows on the ground are intriguing and the bright hues give the painting a surreal feeling. I was surprised to find that McDaniel seems to paint every subject imaginable; everything from horses to teacups. In addition, some of her other works were composed of bold, not transparent, colors. This mix of styles shows that McDaniel is a very versatile artist, capable of surreal as well as realistic works (see painting to the left).

I still can’t believe it took me so long to notice the art at Puffy Muffin. Next time I venture there, I will be sure to look around carefully. Perhaps a new local artist will be showcased.

Opposites Abstract

January 2, 2007 by Clare Coyle Taylor

Stop versus go. On versus off. Emptiness versus full. Light versus dark. The old saying, 'opposites attract,' is a common theme in Clare Coyle Taylor's colored pencil drawing. Two darkly hued square-like shapes take up the center of the work. Yet, the central hues are different; you could even say opposites. The top square seems to be like an bottomless pit; leading into an dark abyss. If one were to walk up to it, they might just fall in. In comparison, the bottom square has an almost threadlike quality, the black lines become less condensed towards the outside of the square. The center is a reverberating red, like a switch that's been left on but is about to go out. The dispersed black lines give it that flickering quality. Perhaps, the above square is meant to depict the light of the lower square after it has conked out. Around the opposing squares, are a multitude of colors - pink, green, blue, orange, yellow; essentially a rainbow. These bright hues bring out the contrast of the dark centerpieces. The pink in particular surrounds the 2 figures in an almost neon glow; possibly representing an outer world. The 'hustle and bustle' of hues around the squares gives the sketch a rushed appearance, yet the dark figures of solitude in the center remain; with the hype of the outside just barely lingering within the lower one.

Tranquility

Le Soleil Levant

By Claude Monet

A noiseless scene is displayed in Claude Monet’s Soleil Levant. The calming hues establish a peaceful mood, as the sun shines through the monotonous grey tones of the indiscrete trees. The viewer’s eye is first drawn to the darkest figure in the boat, where it lingers before being sucked into the adjacent rare orange lines in the water. The thick blazing brush strokes lead the eye back to the rising sun; the one distinct circular figure in the painting. The sky above the sun is a dull yellow with sparse strokes of pink, green, grey, and blue. Yet a line is created as the hues shift to darker tones of blue and grey around the sun. Although the trees are not realistically depicted, the idea is transcribed to the viewer in a minimal way. Thick green horizontal brushstrokes in the water enunciate the reflections of the trees and underbrush. A gentle grey wash sets an overcast glow over the scene as if to represent the fog or mist of the early morning. It seeps in from both sides of the painting, in attempt to consume the sun.

Two boats, both carrying passengers, float alongside each other. Yet, the more central boat is a darker hue, making it stand out drastically against the soporific water. The solitary figures seem to be drifting in the seclusion of the tranquil morning. The river sweeps back around and is hidden to the eyes of the viewer, but it leads somewhere far away as if the river itself is leading to a more peaceful place. Drifting along with the tide, swaying in the current of hues, the viewer is sent off into the distant unknown peace just around the sun.