Kitchen Poetry & Various Randomosity
By Corrie DiManno
The Banff Crag and Canyon
The Real Housewives of Banff are not like the ones seen on television.
They push Chariot Carriers and don't apply makeup every day. And sometimes, they opt to leave their kitchen a mess so there's time for a hike. But the chaos happening on the countertops isn't always dirty plates or used pans, because as Banff artist/mother/wife Tiffany Teske describes this housewife common to the valley, she's surrounded by artwork for her latest show called Kitchen Poetry & Various Randomosity. (In fact, the kitchen table ends up being the best workspace for her in the whole house because there's a big window that casts natural light onto the tabletop that's tall enough for her to stand next to while working on either culinary or crafty creations.)
This collection, which will be on display at Wild Flour Café for the month of June, has elements of motherhood, food, and domesticity. For example, Teske has covered silverware with feathers, beads, and poems, referring to these sets of forks, knives, and spoons as books. A white egg speckled with brown spots rests in the bowl of an antique spoon with the words "remember, feed the birds" written on the handle. Another says, "mama loves you baby."
There is also a canvas covered in a recipe for Mexican orange candies from a vintage cookbook as the background. A chef with the label "connoisseur" across his hat sits inside in the lid of a heart-shaped chocolate box. Opposite of the chef is the other half of the box, but the sweet treats that once occupied the wrappings have been replaced with porcelain doll heads. The text underneath ironically reads, "Henri was notorious for devouring women."
Teske said she has a preoccupation with the traditional tasks and roles a woman has in the home, and often it reminds her of her grandmother and her mother.
"I never would have thought I was a domestic person," Teske said. "But for me, it's more about creating things than being domestic."
The theme of a kitchen comes through in most of the pieces too, which makes sense because Teske's own blog is called Art, Food, and Motherhood.
"I love food — all kinds of food — and I love trying new food. I also like how everyone gravitates to a kitchen: parties happen in kitchens, neighbours, friends, family, and conversation all kind of centre around a kitchen."
(She's not kidding. Topics like: American politics, religion, Oprah, Facebook status updates, the military, and her home childbirth all came up during the interview in her kitchen.)
Just as Teske used to help her grandmother in the kitchen when she was younger (not so much her mother, who would usually tell her to go play while she cooked) now she has two helpers in the kitchen — daughters Quinlyn, 5, and Emmanuelle, 2.
"At this point in my life, my art is about motherhood, nurturing, and nesting," Teske said. "Sometimes with the day-to-day life it's hard to fit art in, but I try to integrate it into every day life."
In Teske's kitchen there is a banner with the word happy that stretches across the sink. It's leftover from New Year's, but for some reason the family didn't take down the first word.
Corrie@thecrag.ca
