Painting Flavor with Artist Katie Clark Gabbard (Ep. 36)
“With beer and chocolate, they’re about so much more than just creating something that tastes good. There’s a story that’s trying to be told if you just take the time to try to go on that journey and listen to what your senses are telling you.”
Katie Clark Gabbard is a professional artist working in Dayton, Ohio, creating vividly colorful paintings in unexpected formats, using the very shape and texture of each piece to challenge perceptions within the sometimes staid fine art world.
In this episode we hang out with Katie as she uses her paints, brushes, and canvases to interpret and express what her senses of taste and smell experience when presented with beers and chocolates without knowing anything about them.
I brought along several chocolates and beers to Katie’s studio, and gave each to her to taste, one at a time. She would then spend ten to fifteen minutes painting a small canvas, expressing in colors and shapes the flavors she experienced and the images they conjured. Only after she finished each would I reveal what she had just tasted. We were both fascinated by the results.
You can check out a blog post with photos from the session here.
The chocolates we tasted through were Crow & Moss Vanilla Smoke 69%, Baiani Caipirihna, and Loon Heirloon Bolivia 70%.
The beers we tasted through were MadTree Luna Lux White IPA and Spencer Trappist Holiday Ale.
Previous episodes mentioned in this episode include Episode 19: Wood, Beer, & Chocolate and Episode 22: Loon Chocolate.
As mentioned in the episode, I’ll be leading a virtual tasting of Belgian Dubbel, Tripel, & Quadrupel Ales on Saturday, April 23. This 90 minute event will include a tasting of 6 Belgian beers—2 in each style. I’ll talk about how to taste beer like an expert, discuss the history behind these styles and each brewery, and walk attendees through a guided tasting of each beer.
The music for this episode was sampled from an instrumental versions of the songs “Free” and “Love’s Not” written and performed by indie folk musician Anna ps from her 2016 album Umbrella. You can find out more about Anna and get in touch about booking her for a show at her website.
Guests:
Katie Clark Gabbard is an emerging contemporary artist in Dayton, Ohio. A former florist, she has an endless appetite for punches of color, creative endeavors, and all things green. She shares her studio space with her worthless but adorable French bulldog, Willy.