Mmmmm, I love cake! I've had my eye on Crystal Ross' artistic creations for a while and decided to connect with her for a photo shoot featuring her business Gateaux Rose. Crystal, a NSCAD grad and artist who works at Argyle Fine Art, spends many evenings and weekends creating artfully designed, custom baked sweets. I really like Crystal's philosophy about these edible works of art. They don't have to be perfect and they don't have to last forever – they are meant to be enjoyed in the moment and shared with the people you love. What a wonderful way to celebrate life's important events!
In Crystal's own words: "When I was working as a textile based artist, I was really stuck on an unusual production of hand sewn figures. I found myself crafting these “things” obsessively, and I allowed them to multiply into an army of oddities that occupied our home. Although the making itself was satisfying, the result was stressful - I eventually felt uneasy about adding everlasting objects to the world for my own art and amusement, and in my own case it felt wasteful...
Turning to cakes was a big deal. I was suddenly able to indulge in my need to create, and have those very creations DISAPPEAR FOREVER by feeding a few hungry friends. Wham bam gone. The production became pretty meaningful too, it’s changed my relationship with food.
I find myself pushing back a little from the trend of highly sculpted fondant cakes - my focus is on classic shapes, repeating patterns, and the ingredients themselves.
The cake I made for our afternoon shoot is one of my favorite yellow butter cake recipes (the recipe itself is really neat!) with sweetened strawberry mascarpone filling, and matcha mousseline frosting."
Thanks Crystal for a lovely afternoon or baking and photography! Find out more (and find some fantastic recipes) at: http://gateauxrose.blogspot.ca/
