Wayne Thiebaud

I happened upon a can of Royal Baking Powder at Gum's Antique Mall in Hawaiian Gardens, California, and I decided to paint it.

I vividly remember Royal Baking Powder from my mother’s pantry. It's easy to see what about this small canister would enchant a child (or anyone): the label depicts a replica can in the center of the design—thus a miniscule depiction of the can appears on the tiny replica, and so on, it would seem, to infinity. Howard Faxon told me the name for this type of design: recursion.

Yesterday, I read that Wayne Thiebaud died at age 101. I was thinking of his fun paintings—of things that a child (or anyone) would love: cakes, cupcakes, gumballs, lipsticks. Paintings that bend the landscape like a rollercoaster; images that love color and express anticipation. Wayne Thiebaud used paint in a heavy, opaque way, often spreading it generously, in controlled parallel strokes, like frosting. An unlikely edge of deep, bright blue suggests rich layers of paint piled on top of each other. Shadows are pointedly blue, and yet they are convincing.

It seems that those who live long lives have it in their nature to be happy. Whether or not being happy leads to longevity, it seems like a good idea to follow their example. Wayne Thiebaud loved to paint and he spent most of his days painting—or as he reportedly said, "learning to paint". He also taught painting and discussed painting with college students who came to learn from him.

I dedicate this little painting of Royal Baking Powder to Wayne Thiebaud.

—E.F. 12/28/21