The Food Pyramid

June 28, 2007

kingtut11.jpg

Many of the quilt ideas that I’m working on lately revolve around food (surprise!) After seeing the King Tut exhibition in Philadelphia, I’ve had the Food Pyramid on my brain non-stop. I was inspired by paintings such as this one of Nefertari and of course, the old man himself. But what a surprise to find this Cleopatra VII! Does the one boob look familiar?

I’m not sure this design is quite there. I always wonder if what I’m doing is really funny, or maybe I’m just being silly again. But then again, maybe a snake and mummy dog aren’t enough. I could add a camel. And couple of Egyptian servants carrying a big hero sandwich…

After I drew the sand dune version, I was inspired by Nefertari playing chess to draw this one:

kingtut2.jpg

Filed Under drawings 


Comments

24 Comments so far

  1. thelmasmith on June 28, 2007 11:50 pm

    Pam, all this food pyramid business, you’ve got it all wrong. I think it’s a gender thing. In this household I have been strongly chastized for healthy eating.

    Don’t you know that the four, basic, american, male food groups are Grease, Starch, Sugar, and Salt? thelma, who hopes you can do something in wonderful societal commentary on that particular idea.

  2. PaMdora on June 29, 2007 12:10 am

    Hi Thelma, I think that’s what I’ve been struggling with — what is really in that Food Pyramid. I like the look of the retro one, but in all honesty, our modern one is much more like you describe!

  3. Tonya R on June 29, 2007 12:41 am

    Ooh, love Pamdora’s spatula and whisk, and the heiroglyphics in the second and the mummified dog in the first. Not that the ancient Egyptians would have mummified the dog, but I know that’s not the point. Food pyramid - very fun. I didn’t expect that.

  4. Susie Monday on June 29, 2007 6:25 am

    Love the idea, but I’d like to see the pyramid larger maybe?
    On the food inspiration front, have you ever seen the blog Brownie Points. http://www.browniepointsblog.com/
    I think you would find some great inspiration for the food series, today’s entry is a Kitty Litter cake.

  5. PaMdora on June 29, 2007 7:55 am

    Susie, that Kitty Litter cake is hilarious, thanks for the link. But I don’t know if I’d have the courage to eat it, even if it was in a brand-new pan.
    Great office prank though!

  6. Alison (Vulturewoman) on June 29, 2007 8:45 am

    I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT!!!! Especially the sand dune version with the heiroglyphics!

  7. Sarah on June 29, 2007 10:10 am

    OMG! Both of these are FAB! I love them!

  8. Sherrie on June 29, 2007 10:21 am

    I think the newer version of the food guide pyramid would be more colorful, but the actual food in the pyramid does lend to the theme. http://www.mypyramid.gov/

    There’s a post on my blog that has a link to the Asian Food Guide pyramid. You can find other fgp’s there, also. Like Mediterranean. Love the puppy, and I like the camel idea. You can make a reference to 8 glasses of water or something related. :)

  9. Gerrie on June 29, 2007 10:26 am

    That Cleopatra boob cracked me up!! Love this! You are so comically brilliant.

  10. Jeannie on June 29, 2007 11:27 am

    Now that I have cleaned up the coffee that I sprayed all over the desk, thank you for the morning laugh! I love the concept and there really could be a series here. Thanks for the joy.

  11. kathy on June 29, 2007 12:40 pm

    Very creative, Pam! The mummy dog is a scream.

  12. Del on June 29, 2007 2:27 pm

    It would be more ‘Egyptian’ to have a cat mummy, but the dog is a hoot. I agree with whoever said that the pyramid should be larger. Compared to your usual outstanding use of color, this one is very washedout. Waiting eagerly for the finished design. Such a talent you have! Del

  13. PaMdora on June 29, 2007 3:53 pm

    Thanks Del, when I checked my collection of fabric, I don’t have anything remotely like sand, so I’m leaning more towards a brighter yellow, blue and green combination!

  14. Christine on June 29, 2007 8:25 pm

    Pam,
    It’s been too long since I visited your blog. Your work and humor always put a smile on my face. Thanks. I am currently avoiding creativity for fear of failure. I now recognize the trend.

  15. PaMdora on June 29, 2007 10:34 pm

    Hi Christine, I can’t even answer this in a short comment, I’m going to have to do a post on this next! But I know you are a hard-worker, intellegent, and have a great eye for the beautiful and the unique, so creativity is not something to fear but to embrace!!

  16. charlotte on June 30, 2007 12:51 am

    tut-ench-pam is great. hope there will be a series of egyptian quilts!

  17. Rhonda on June 30, 2007 6:17 pm

    Love your work. Keep it up!

  18. Kathie on July 1, 2007 5:50 am

    What a great idea–good nutrition IS timeless. LOL I agree about making the pyramid larger.

  19. Mechelle on July 1, 2007 9:18 am

    I think Cleopamtra needs some hunky men fanning her while she has a burger, fries & shake! Love your work & in progress posts, thanks for sharing!

  20. PaMdora on July 1, 2007 11:30 am

    Ha ha, Mechelle, you’re ideas are funnier than mine!

  21. Katie on July 2, 2007 7:09 am

    I love the expression on her face. I never liked that darned pyramid either! :)

  22. Diane on July 2, 2007 10:14 am

    These are really fun, Pam, and I love the theme idea. Seeing your process is so inspiring!

  23. Judy on July 24, 2007 12:19 pm

    I’ve been meaning to write to this item in your blog, Pam. I have been to Nefertari’s tomb. It was open for viewing for a short time. To get into the tomb on a normal tourist day, you needed to be up about 5:30 am to get on line. If you weren’t there by 7:30 the tickets were sold out and the box office wasn’t even open yet. We went after the ‘accident’ (as the Egyptians call it) at Hepsetshut temple. There were zero tourists there that winter, us excepted. We were able to walk right in! The color on the wall were in such pristine condition! The palms of my hands were sweating with excitement so much that my entire sketchbook was soaked though. Great,great colors. I was glad to see you explore her of all the Egyptian figures! I work with a number of the images in her tomb, Nut and the stars for 2.

  24. Food Pyramid Redux : PaMdora’s Box on September 23, 2007 6:34 am

    […] a pot I’ve had on the back burner all summer has started to boil. If you remember, I started another food-inspired project and then stalled out. I thought the problem was color and some of you tried to help me out with […]

Name (required)

Email (required, will not be published)

Website

Speak your mind