Artist Creates Celebrity Portraits (Jennifer Coolidge in Mashed Potatoes, Anyone?) from Food
Harley Langberg takes playing with his food to the next level. An investor by day, Langberg was inspired by a food art photography exhibit he saw nine years ago in New York City.
"I remember standing in front of each image for 15 minutes trying to figure out all the foods," says Langberg, 34. "It was very fascinating to me. And since I was in [Chelsea Market] already, and it was the weekend, I said, 'I'm going to just give this a shot because it looks so fun.' "
He picked up some ingredients, created his first piece that evening and posted it on Facebook.
He has since created thousands of pieces, partnering with organizations like New York Fashion Week. for which he created images of stylish celebrities like Anna Wintour and Karl Lagerfeld.
"That was really fun," he recalls. "From there, it just kind of escalated."
Courtesy Jennifer Coolidge
Now he has the website harleysfoodart.com and his Instagram account has nearly 40,000 followers.
One of his all-time favorite pieces is The Lion King's Mufasa, which he created out of mashed potatoes with a mane sculpted from bacon. "That was really fun," he says. "There's so much detail and texture."
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Another favorite was Serena Williams, an image Katie Couric reposted after the tennis great announced she was potentially "evolving away" from the sport last year.
Courtesy
When Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, Langberg created a memorial portrait. And after the earthquake in Turkey, he made a tribute piece.
"I wanted to create a piece saying, 'I'm here with you. I'm praying for you,' " he says. "I love being able to create something that's meaningful food art. Not just Mufasa or not just a turtle, but creating something that really is food for thought, almost. Food art for thought. Creating something that has a little bit more meaning."
To make his works, which take a few hours, he starts with a photo, then visits the grocery store looking for the right foods — everything from rice paper and lychees to dragon fruit and yucca. "I will be in the aisles matching up the colors and the textures," he explains. "I one time used a whole octopus raw ... the cleanup was tricky, but I cooked it after and it was delicious!"
Courtesy Jim Carrey in The Mask
Afterward, "I go home and then I have my phone beside my plate, and I get to work. When I'm done with the piece, I take a picture."
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He's recently started posting pictures of his 2-year-old daughter, Blake, devouring the creations he makes.
"She'll touch it, she'll eat it. So that's very fun," he says.
And he loves that his art brings happiness to followers.
"One follower told me she was going through a really tough time when her mom died and her only happiness was coming onto Instagram and seeing my art because it really made her smile," he says. "It makes so many people happy, it makes me happy."
