King Arthur, Our Founding Flour
If you’ve known me for any amount of time, you probably know how much I love a good story. When I was asked to commission a painting for the King Arthur Baking Company’s holiday pop-up shop, my natural instincts took over and I went digging for more. I was a tenacious lawyer for one main reason - I ask too many questions.
King Arthur may conjure images of knights and round tables, but when discussing flour, it’s time to jump forward in history. This famous baking brand has been around since George Washington was addressing the nation. Since then, their flour has made the foundation of countless loaves that likely fed a few of your ancestors. In that case, it could be a part of all of our stories (I think that’s what they mean by “meta”).
In the late 1700s, “the United States, with nearly 4 million inhabitants, couldn't produce enough flour of its own to satisfy the bread-baking wives of the new nation's 16 states.” Henry Wood saw an opportunity and started a flour company. The inspiration for the name came from a Boston musical based on King Arthur and his knights. According to their website, “Wood witnessed the same values in Arthurian legend he saw in his new exceptional flour: purity, loyalty, honesty, superior strength, and a dedication to a higher purpose.”
For 200 years, King Arthur Flour was a staple in American homes. This Vermont-based company has been a trusted source for baking ingredients since the birth of our nation, yet they’re still evolving and changing with the times. They recently changed their name to King Arthur Baking Company to suit their broader purpose - to be a resource for bakers everywhere. You can even call the King Arthur Baker’s Hotline to get advice during your baking emergencies.
When most people choose to buy a loaf from the grocery store bread aisle (myself included, most days), King Arthur is there to remind us that there’s something special about going back to the basics. Mixing the ingredients with your own hands, measuring, kneading, waiting - it all adds up to something that’s different from anything you could manufacture. It will make you look at a loaf of bread or a slice of cake differently than you have before. I took this as my inspiration for “Ready to Bake.”
I was challenged to use only 4 colors to create an oil painting representing King Arthur Baking Company. It required a new way of looking at the subjects. Taking the iconic red and white bag of King Arthur Flour as the focal point, I added layer by layer of paint until I had a baking scene that was recognizable to any generation. Some common ingredients, a mixing bowl, a whisk, and some delectable donuts are the result of using a small color palette to create a classic scene that hits home for nearly anyone.
Baking remains one of my favorite subjects, whether it’s learning about the American Classic, King Arthur Baking Company, or diving into the lives of the mill workers at Greenville’s former Claussen’s Bakery. You can see “Ready to Bake” in person at the King Arthur Baking holiday pop-up shop in Greenville, SC until Dec. 22!
