During this adventure into Steampunk as an art form, I’ve been lucky enough to use it as a theme for some interesting public art projects. Last year I did the “Clockwork Cat” for The Harry and Hanley Project. A couple years ago, I did a steampunk corset and hat coupling for Soulard Art Market’s “Fashion Art” show. I featured both works in previous blogs.
Late last year, I was selected to participate in the stl250.org “Cakeway to the West”. My hometown, St. Louis, MO, the city I love, is celebrating its 250th birthday this year. stl250 is the community group promoting different events surrounding the city’s anniversary. “Cakeway to the West” is the visual component of this project. 250 fiberglass cakes were supplied to artists for “decorating”. Artists provided a theme and worked with the Regional Arts Commission and the Contemporary Art Museum on execution and placement in the St. Louis region.
My love for the machinery aspect of steampunk led me to choose Charles Lindbergh’s flight over the Atlantic in “The Spirit of St. Louis” which also became the name of my cake. Not only is the wonderful airplane featured on the cake, but a portrait of Lindberg and two airlines which started in Missouri, Ozark and TWA, are featured as well.
The top of the cake is painted with a faux propeller. Painted clouds form the icing. An oversized pair of goggles rests on the backside, while a flight scarf is draped around the two layers of the cake. I used one of my favorite mediums, soft acrylics and medium gloss sealant, to complete “The Spirit of St. Louis”.
I hope you enjoy some of the “in process” photos. My cake was placed at Creve Coeur Lake in St. Louis County. I can’t tell you exactly where, as stl250.org is doing a bit of a scavenger hunt. So please. feel free to look at the stl250.org website to see the Cake Leaderboard and join in the hunt. And just like the “Clockwork Cat”, I’ll have a steam inspired photo shoot as soon as we have some better weather.
Please note: I had difficulties with my hautehen.com website in January and February. It is under reconstruction with a new host and I’ll let you know as soon as it’s back up. I’ll also have the new parts of the Mardi Gras mask series in the next couple blogs.
Thank you for reading and your support,
-Victoria
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