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THE
ARTIST
Born in
Coral Gables, Florida, into a family of artists and chefs, Jeannie’s gift
for sculpture and design may be genetic. Yet she takes her art to unexplored
realms, and in 1998 she originated the stunning and mouthwatering Soft
Sculptures that are truly Magic in the Fabric, immediately taking top awards at
fine arts exhibits. She became known as
“The Fabric Chef,” magically combining artistry, whimsy, and genius
into sculptures that so closely mimic elegant bakery goods, appetizers,
crackers, sausage, cheese, bacon and eggs, and even fried chicken, that some
people mistake the sculptures for part of the exhibitions’ complimentary
cuisine. For that reason, Jeannie sometimes attracts more chefs than art
connoisseurs, yet her work is masterful fine art with a hint of
Claes Oldenburg and
Salvador
Dalí, two artists who have inspired her since her
youth.
Jeannie believes in finding beauty in all things, “Even in
the food we eat,” she says. “We so often eat food without noticing
the texture and color and shape. Bread is food for the body and I feel that art
is food for the soul.” By elevating ordinary bread into extraordinary art,
she hopes to bring that soul into everyday life.
Her most recent works
include several giant fabric sculptures of candies, ice cream cones, breakfast
food, and a prodigious chicken dinner titled, “Fried Chicken Texas Style” in honor of the
famous chef, Bobby Flay.
Her
sculptures are in private and corporate collections, including
Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum in Florida. Her
works have been shown in group and solo exhibits in the USA, including the
Infinity Art Gallery – International Online Art Gallery, Grand Junction
Art Center, the Annual Alpine Artists Holiday, Ouray Gallery, Best of the West
Food Fest, The Swiss Shop, Little Switzerland of America Candy Factory, S.I.D.
Gallery, and others. Her art was the cover feature for the July 2010 issue of
The Beacon, a two-page story titled, “Magic in the Fabric,” by
Terri Benson. The article can be found here.
Since 1973 Jeannie has won many awards,
including second place in sculpture at the Alpine Artists Holiday, juried by
Howard Post. Her sculptures and fabric-based designs have been used in numerous
commercial displays in Kansas City, Missouri; Denver, Grand Junction, Ouray,
and Telluride, Colorado; and Monroeville, Pennsylvania.
She is owner of
Soft Sculptures & Beyond, a commercial and fine arts and design business
founded in Ridgway, Colorado and now located in Grand Junction, Colorado. With
her sister,
MaryJoy
Martin, Jeannie has written, “Magic in the
Fabric,” a how-to book illustrating her techniques for creating some
of her favorite bread and pastry sculptures. Through seminars and trade shows
she has become known as “The Fabric Chef,” but she stresses,
“Don't eat the sculptures!”
—Andrew K. Cameron, reviewer
(Digital Artist with
LocoFotives) |
The Fabric Chef
has a new book that reveals how to create your own
fabulous fabric bread and pastry sculptures: “Magic in the
Fabric” |
Jeannie, The Fabric Chef |
Artist's Chronology
 —Ripley's Believe It Or Not
Museum: three Fabric Chef sculptures were accepted March
2012
—AROUND THE CORNER
ART GALLERY, featured artist for month of April 2011
—"Fabric Chef's cuisine tantalizes taste buds"
— by Sherida Warner, Grand Junction Sunday Sentinel, feature for
April 3, 2011. This article was also featured on April 6, 2011 in the
Daily Sentinel
—"Fabric food
sculptures could have you fooled" —Scene magazine, Montrose Daily
Press, April 1, 2011
—"The Fabric Chef" — News feature on
KKCO/NBC
TV, Grand Junction, CO, Oct. 3, 2010
—"Sculptures that look
good enough to eat" Denver Post feature, Sept. 7, 2010
—Faux Food – Jeanne J Martin, cover story
"Magic in the Fabric" by Terri Benson, Beacon Newspaper, July 2010
—Member of
Artists
Register since 2010
—"In Honor of Julia" —Infinity Art
Gallery, International Online Art Gallery, Summer Expo 2010; Finalist, on
display from July1-September 1, 2010
—"In Honor Of Julia" and
"Breakfast A La Fabric," Grand Junction Art Center, members art show, April,
2010
—"Chocolate Sundae" and "Deliciously Deceptive," Mesa State
Student Art Show, Grand Junction Art Center, May 2000
—"Faux
Patisseries Partie" hosted by Carol Parker and Val Burnell; The 22nd Annual
Altrusa Spring Luncheon, March 20, 2010
—"Art Exhibit Features Uncanny
Work…" – Montrose Daily Press, Dec. 4, 1999
—Art Exhibit
sponsored by Soft Sculptures & Beyond and Norwest Bank, Nov.17-Dec. 12,
1999
—"Artist Consumes Sculpture" – San Juan Horseshoe,
July 1999
—"Artist Sculpts Cone" – Ouray Business, July,
15-21, 1999
Jeanne Martin, AGO Gallery, Ouray, Colorado, 1998
—"Milano" soft sculpture, Autumn Affair, Hospice annual
auction, Sept, 1998
—"Magic in The Fabric" – by Jeanne J Martin
and MaryJoy Martin, copyright 1998
—KREY-TV 11/16/98, News
Feature
—"Good Enough To Eat" – Montrose Sunday Press, Aug, 16,
1998
—"Deliciously Deceptive" Artists Alpine Holiday Art Exhibit,
8/98
—38th Annual Artists Alpine Holiday 1998 Awards: Ouray
County Plaindealer, Aug. 13-19-1998
—"Soft Sculpture Wins
Prize" –Ridgway Sun, Aug. 13-19, 1998
See the short video
Magic in
the Fabric on youtube.com
See the short video
The Fabric Chef on
youtube.com
Visit The
Fabric Chef on Flickr
You can also visit The Fabric Chef on
Twitter and Facebook
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