Thiebaud often creates everyday consumer objects in bright colors, such as cakes, pies and hot dogs, drawing from memory rather than from direct observation. The artist explains, “I spent a lot of time washing dishes, as a busboy, preparing food. This provided a wider and richer source of visual material.” In order to heighten his works’ chromatic intensity, he outlines his forms in radiant, rainbow colors that create a halo-like effect. Thiebaud often spotlights his objects against pale backgrounds with the well-defined shadows characteristic of advertisements.
“I’m not just interested in the pictorial aspects of the landscape – see a pretty place and try to paint it – but in some way to manage it, manipulate it or see what I can turn it into. ”
