To commemorate our 30th anniversary, we enlisted four Ontario-based artists to re-envision some of our most iconic Food & Drink covers. Learn about the talent and vision behind these beautiful works and click to add your favourite limited-edition print (or all six) to your cart.
Nashid Chroma is a multidisciplinary artist with a passion for bold colours and eccentric nature-inspired motifs. He trained in traditional media at the University of Waterloo, where he studied Fine Art and Psychology, prior to completing his Master of Architecture degree at University of Toronto. In 2020, just before the pandemic, he decided to commit a year to focusing on his art seriously. Fast-forward three years and he continues his work as an artist, including projects with major brands such as Disney+ and Adidas.
Nashid shared that this cover’s delightful palette and gorgeous flowers resonate with him. As an artist who specializes in painting flowers, Nashid felt that reimagining this cover would be the perfect opportunity to bridge the magazine’s gorgeous food photography and his portrait work.
“I incorporated a blueberry-coloured plant inspired by the original cover’s blueberry cake slices, and this leads to a dress inspired by the glass cake stand. The waterfalls of champagne were incorporated to bind everything together around a gloved, pink female, who is the personification of my interpretation of the cover’s essence,” he shares.
Jeannie Phan is a Toronto-based, internationally published Vietnamese-Canadian illustrator whose work has appeared in marketing campaigns, editorial content and branding. Her work is influenced by graphite textures and layered printing styles, which she then reinterprets digitally.
“My intention was to create pared-down versions of these covers that are a bit more surreal and punchy and mix that with a light retro touch. These works are meant to be fun, celebratory pieces that highlight the unique qualities of each drink,” says Jeannie.
She shares, “This jovial piece emphasizes the original cover’s zesty herbaceous qualities by framing the artwork in evergreen sprigs. I wanted the leaves to be especially large and exaggerated like giant fans stirring a breeze into a refreshing moment.”
Jeannie states, “This effervescent drink has nose-tingling bubbles, which I wanted to play with by interpreting how they look inside and outside the glass.”
“The idea I wanted to incorporate into this piece is that once the bubbles hit the air they are transformed into confetti that defies gravity and floats up and out of the artwork,” says Phan.
Classically trained and based in Hamilton, Ont., artist Laura Heaney can usually be found sitting in the same position for hours while perfecting the most minute detail in one of her painstakingly crafted drawings or clad in paint-covered overalls as she enlivens a canvas with swaths of acrylic. Her themes, mediums and subject matter vary, but her works share a distinct combination of traditional techniques and subjects, bolstering her love of the old-meets-new dichotomy by combining those with more contemporary motifs and accessible materials.
Photography of Laura Heaney by Adorn In Light Photography
Laura tells us that her reinterpretation of this magazine cover was done in coloured pencil as opposed to a more traditional medium like oil paint with the goal of creating a drawing that feels as accessible and approachable as the magazine itself.
Heaney also shares, “A few small tweaks to the overall colour scheme—moving away from the traditional autumn browns and oranges to a cooler background and title palette—allow the flatbread to shine, but also eliminate the drawing’s sense of seasonality, resulting in a piece that is timeless.”
Kayla Whitney is a Hamilton based artist and muralist who is so grateful to live this weird and magical life where she uses her creative practice to make meaningful contributions to the communities around her through art.
“My reinterpretation of this cover centres around the delicious-looking cake,” says Kayla.
“I envisioned the cake as part of a tablescape surrounded by the first colours and shades of spring. I wove the greenery, fruits and florals in and around the cake to immerse it completely in this spring scene,” she shares.
Kayla shares that when she saw the cocktail on this cover, she thought of her book club, which meets weekly for coffee, cocktails and good company.
Her hope for this reinterpretation is to convey a sense of gathering for cocktails while sharing moments of quiet togetherness.