One Sweet Artist

If you are looking for a great excuse to eat a doughnut today, let me help! The world’s first doughnut was fried on this day in France (1917) by Salvation Army volunteers for the soldiers fighting in WWI. This means that everything that happened before 1917 happened in a doughnutless world. Imagine. The victims of the Titanic went down without ever having a doughnut. Henry Ford could not drive his first Model T with one hand on the steering wheel and a doughnut in the other. Without a doughnut in the world, Albert Einstein published his Theory of Relativity, which I have never enjoyed. Know what I have enjoyed? Doughnuts.

Because I have academic pursuits regarding doughnuts, I did a Google search for “famous doughnuts in art.” I didn’t really expect anything to turn up, but the results were as abundant as sprinkles in a bakery. If you have a hankering for some doughnut art, here are some recommendations. Check out this site to see your favorite artwork in doughnut form. Visit Emily Eveleth’s site to get up close and personal with some doughnuts. Kenny Scharf takes a cosmic perspective in his doughnut art. Even Banksy gets in on the action. Here is a great article: 10 Things to Know About Banksy’s Donuts. Truly, I did not realize doughnuts were such a “thing” in pop art right now. It makes me hungry.

But if we’re going to be serious about our doughnut art, we need to talk about Jae Yong Kim out of South Korea. His art is nuts! Doughnuts! He sculpts doughnuts from clay like many a preschooler, then glazes it like many a baker, but then he paints and decorates it like nobody else! I want one for my kitchen, as a matter of fact. One of the Swarovski crystal ones, to be specific. Too bad they go for about $950 a pop.

I love that Jae Yong Kim was like, “yeah, I like donuts. I’m going to make some art out of this humble passion. And it’s going to be bright and funky even though I’m color blind. And I’m going to take it all over the world and make millions.” And he does. His shows are sold out for months because who wouldn’t want in on this fun exhibit? His attitude is as bright and shiny as his artwork, as you can see if you give him a follow on IG.

Like so many of us, my fifth grade teacher had a doughnut addiction. To convince himself not to eat any, he called them “do nots.” I remember because he talked about them a lot, as you do when you’re passionate about something. In any event, do not sleep on Jae Yong Kim! He is one delectable artist.

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