Leslie Duke Art + Best of the Web

One of my favorite painters of all time is Wayne Thiebaud. His beautiful work combines two of my all-time favorites (food and art) and the way he worked with such thick layers of paint and used texture to add dimension to cakes, gumballs and ice cream always made me smile. I’m always looking out for other great painters who use food as their primary inspiration and lately I’ve been following a wonderful artist on Instagram, Leslie Duke.

Leslie is based in Springville, UT, where she paints a wide range of subjects, from people and food to animals (this bird is so sweet) and flowers. Her still life paintings with food make up the majority of her online gallery and are the pieces that I love the most. The way she uses bold patches of color to represent plums, onions and tomatoes is so beautiful and it elevates the most humble of ingredients to almost regal status. Leslie has an online shop where you can buy prints of her work, but you can also follow her on Instagram where she posts process photos of artwork on the way to its finished state. Thanks to Leslie for inspiring me to see the fruit and vegetables on my counter in a whole new light. xo, grace

• Ever wonder who’s behind the amazing sets in Wes Anderson films? Curbed has a wonderful profile of Adam Stockhausen, the production designer who has been working with Anderson since The Darjeeling Limited.
• Sleater-Kinney teaming up with Bob’s Burgers for their new video is pretty much my favorite thing of the week (via Rolling Stone).
• A century after being cast into the River Thames, a celebrated typeface reemerges (via HyperAllergic).
• This tour of Art Deco Illinois is fantastic and makes me want to drive West… (via Atlas Obscura)
• Victorine Muller’s performance art sculptures, like this inflatable elephant, are mind-blowingly gorgeous.
• The Design Museum in London has just unveiled its nominees for Designs of The Year. From stunning architecture to innovations in digital design, these are a must-see.
• One of our favorite stationery designers, Emily McDowell,

projected her work into the San Francisco fog for a truly memorable Valentine’s Day treat.

We wish all fast food chains looked as fabulous as this Shanghai-based hotdog shop! (via ArchDaily)

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• Recipes: Mushroom Pizza from Marta NYC
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• Before & After: A Dallas home becomes get a mid-century ‘MODERN’ makeover