Meet our Food Artist!
Name: Lauren Purnell
Age: 22
Occupation: I’m currently a Postgraduate Student at Kingston University in London, UK– MA Marketing & Brand Management
Favourite juice: The Original (Classic!)
Describe yourself in one word: Curious
When did you start creating your plates?: I created my first piece nearly two years ago but I’ve been consistently creating for just over a year now.
What’s the inspiration behind Culinary Canvas?: I have always been keenly interested in food and art. Growing up I was frequently reminded ‘don’t play with your food’, but I was also encouraged to admire, appreciate, and enjoy my food. My father really likes cooking and I’ve always admired his vision of how the food will look when it makes it to the table; he once referred to it as ‘painting’. This analogy was the inspiration for the name ‘Culinary Canvas’ which I developed to reflect the art I create using fresh and healthy ingredients.
My experiences and the beauty I perceive in everyday things and in nature inspire much of what I create. I’m really inspired by my surroundings, whether that be outside or inside the kitchen, I like to combine the naturally occurring beauty that fresh food provides with the beautiful things I’m exposed to in everyday life. Of course the pieces also reflect the types of foods I like to eat and not only do bright fruits and vegetables have the best colours but they also offer the greatest health benefits. My favourite way of incorporating these items in my pieces is to use the often dismissed parts of the foods (peels, pitts, seeds, rinds) in order to re-purpose and transform them rather than throw them away.
Follow Lauren on instagram @lopurnell or check out her blog at culinarycanvas.tumblr.com!
