My Artistic Inspiration Sources
People never ask my where I get my inspiration for my cake designs, they just assume: “You must really love flowers!” Yes, it’s true. I do really love flowers. But you won’t find me spending hours in a botanical garden. When I first started decorating cakes I was deeply moved by the work of genius florists in Russia and eastern Europe. Their work sparked what many would consider my unique, colorful, signature style. But as all artists do, I matured and sought out inspiration elsewhere.
This Gucci wallpaper not only inspired the cake below, it inspired the whole motif of my brand! I love the rich green colors, but even moreso I love cranes! In Japan the crane is a symbol of good luck, and it’s truly a blessing to gift a loved one with 1000 paper cranes. When I was in college, my entire dorm worked on this project to bombard a certain floormate with special gift - I will never forget it!
I found myself at an exhibit in an art gallery with a friend. The exhibit featured rough wood-working that was clever, but ultimately not beautiful, and not a demonstration of real applied skill. The gallery itself was in a turn-of-the-century building with hand-crafted moldings like the one above. My friend pointed at them and said “look at the contrast.” I understood the point he was making, but my head immediately went to “I could do that in buttercream.”
I wanted to recreate the tapestry florals often found in Victorian homes. There is something so delicate, yet texturized about them. The colors are subtler, but seem to make a louder statement than typical floral patterns we see on sundresses today. For this cake, to give it that tapestry look, I not only used palette knives, but also paint brushes.
Originally from Los Angeles, I’m a city girl through and through. Architecture will always take a prominent place in my heart. When I was asked to design a cake as a testament to a couple’s favorite city, I leapt at the chance. Really, is there anything more beautiful than the Empire State Building?
FRENCH EVERYTHING IS IN. This cake was designed to have a French country feel with an American twist. Adding this cornflower blue background gives this Marie Antoinette milkmaid arrangement (complete with bow) a cozy frontier vibe.
