You see someone on the wrong side of 70 ravishing over a meal of Coke, fries, pizza, and loaded burgers. It is not surprising to look at them in disdain, more so if you are religious about healthy eating.
“I do not want you to gorge on that junk food!” is a statement commonly heard, especially from mommies.
The war against junk food is valid because it is so detrimental to one’s health. However, what if junk food opens the doors of creativity for someone?
Be amazed!
Noah Verrier, a 44-year-old resident of the city of Tallahassee in Florida, is an artist with a difference. Believe it or not, his still life paintings of junk food have taken social media by storm. Noah’s food-inspired art gallery with paintings of burgers, fries, donuts, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and soda is a treat to the eyes and has captivated viewers. His work has been admired around the world. He started becoming an Internet sensation, and the turning point in his life came on March 2, 2022 when his painting of grilled cheese on Twitter (now X) garnered half a million likes. As of now, those likes stand at over 4.5 million.
Besides fetching him appreciation and views on social media, Verrier’s works are selling like hotcakes on eBay and on his own website. Just recently, an oil painting of an uncrustable sandwich with a bite taken out of it sold for five thousand dollars.
Verrier has been hired to create content for businesses like McDonald’s and Domino’s. Celebrities have also made it to his list of clients. His painting of a PB&J sandwich was bought by supermodel Gigi Hadid. Music composer Benny Blanco tracked him down on Instagram and purchased his painting featuring items found at the fast-food joint Taco Bell.
The techniques that make the magic
Noah Verrier is inspired by the Impressionists who adopted the alla prima method of painting. It is essentially a process where wet paint is applied to layers of painting that are still wet.
The attention to the minutest of details gives a realistic touch to Noah’s paintings. For instance, a glazed donut on the canvas looks as real as ever with its glossy shine.
While making a PB&J sandwich, Noah is particular about which shape he slices it into and which side needs to go up. He is also picky about the container of milk that goes alongside it.
This desire for perfection helps when he keeps the images in front of him in order to come up with a brilliant piece of art work. “I always try to eat something before I paint it, just to have that connection with it,” says Noah. He says that he loves to paint things that he is nostalgic about and stuff that he is familiar with.
Creativity knows no bounds
One person’s junk food can be another person’s fine art, and Noah Verrier utilizes his inherent potential with the utmost perfection. His story underlines the truth that there is no period to one’s creativity; there are just commas.
When asked in an interview if he likes being called a junk food painter, Noah has a positive response: “It’s fine. I mean, I don’t call myself that. You know these simple pleasures in life that we turn them into art and look at them and enjoy them, there are less calories when you look at them.”
Gratitude rules his heart, for he is thankful for his success. He says: “For me every painting is like a prayer to God. I can be still, look closely, and interpret the colors, shapes, and emotion before me.”
rashmi writes 