Happy 10th Birthday to RommydeBommy!2025 is a banner year marking a decade of being in business!
Today we’re excited to feature more of Netherlands artist and designer Rommy Kuperus’s amazing wearable art. Back in October 2015, she was one of the first artists we interviewed for our Indie Artist Spotlight series. We were blown away by her over-the-top, fun and fanciful food-inspired handbags, purses, and fashion accessories.
We were impressed by how she made everything by hand herself, creating unique, drool-worthy pieces. Now, 10 years later, she’s still a one-woman operation and continues to wow everyone with new designs that defy belief. Whether croissants, a stack of pancakes, a loaf of bread, layer cakes, s’mores, fish ‘n chips, cherry pies, burritos, tacos, TV dinners, fruit tarts, hot cross buns, on and on — all of her hand-painted clay-foam accessories look sooooo realistic and continue to turn heads.
“For me every painting is like a prayer to God, I can be still, look closely, and interpret the colors, shapes, and emotion before me.” ~ Noah Verrier
Hungry? If you’re craving a little comfort food, whether fast or slow, you’ve come to the right place. Florida artist Noah Verrier’s realistic depictions of classic favorites hit the spot every time.
Feasting on one of Verrier’s mouthwatering, calorie-free still lifes comes with an added benefit: zero guilt. So go ahead and lick off that cupcake frosting to your heart’s content, polish off a syrupy stack of fluffy pancakes, or wolf down a cheesy Big Mac with fries. You’ll feel satisfied and have fun doing it.
Though now based in Tallahassee, Verrier was born in Salem, Oregon, and moved to Florida with his parents when he was six. He loved art as a child and began drawing and painting in watercolors by the age of ten in order to emulate what he saw.
photo of Noah Verrier in his studio by Chasity Maynard/Tallahassee Democrat.
He was fully immersed in art in high school, inspired by Impressionism. Van Gogh and Monet were big influences. He then studied art at Florida State University, taking an interest in 19th century painters Manet, Sargent and Sorolla, as well as 20th century artist Wayne Thiebaud, admiring them for their realistic imagery and brush stroke styles. He also taught painting at FSU, first as a graduate student and then as a professor after earning his MFA. In 2017, he took a leap of faith and quit teaching to become a full-time artist.
Noah specializes in oils and always paints from real-life subjects. He typically begins by sketching an image, then setting up a composition in his home studio. He uses a wet-on-wet painting technique, also known as alla prima painting. This allows him to apply a layer of wet paint on top of another wet layer, all in one setting. Using unique brush strokes and blends of color, he’s able to complete a painting in one day.
Perhaps, at first glance, you assumed this delicious spread was a photograph. It’s actually one of Brett Humphries’s amazing hyperrealistic still life paintings.
You probably know I am quite partial to this genre, especially when the subject is food. I simply had to share Brett’s work with you, so step right up to the buffet and enjoy the feast!
Brett lives and works in the UK, and has been painting and drawing since childhood. He’s been obsessed with detail from an early age, and particularly remembers trying to render objects as realistically as possible.
Brett sourcing items for his work.
I realised that a humble object like a piece of fruit had the potential to amaze, if only we would notice. I think this is why the still life genre resonates with me, because it openly celebrates the dance of light between two objects, or the warm subtle hues of a piece of fruit as a thing of real beauty. There is no need to explain or justify, we can just enjoy it for what it is!
“Why, yes, I could start my day without coffee. But I like being able to remember things like how to say words and put on pants.”~ Nanea Hoffman
Good Morning. Let’s wake up and smell the coffee!
Happy to see you’re wearing your spiffy pants and speaking in full sentences. Do you owe it all to coffee?
Yes, I thought so. Sip, sip. Ah, arabica!
I must confess to being an anomaly when it comes to jump-starting the day with high octane java. Don’t know why, but I’ve never actually had a cup of coffee in my entire life (all 29 years). 😀
I mean, I LOVE the smell of freshly brewed coffee — walking into the kitchen with that divine aroma greeting me — but I’ve never been tempted to pour myself a cup. Strange, no?
Guess I’m just a diehard teatotaler. English Breakfast, Darjeeling or Yorkshire Gold for me, if you please.
Still, I can appreciate coffee’s universal appeal and certainly enjoy seeing how it’s inspired poets and artists.
Today we’re serving up a little sampler of coffee poems paired with Karen Eland’s amazing coffee art (yes, she painted these pieces with just espresso and water). And, because I can’t imagine having any hot beverage without a little something to nibble on, please enjoy a croissant.
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“Girl With a Pearl Earring” by Karen Eland (2006)
COFFEE FIRST
by Dory Hudspeth
The day begins with order
and quiet, broken
only by the small ringing
of the spoon against coffee mug.
If this small ritual goes well,
no spilling, no drips,
there is hope for the day.
1. Hello, super shiny and awesome person! How about a little Allison Strine to propel your week into high gear?
Based in Roswell, Georgia, Allison creates color-filled images with quirky hand lettering for children’s books and products. Her art is inspired by bright minds in history, the miracles of nature, and unusual, educational tidbits of information.
As you can see, she’s all about communicating love and joy with each stroke. In fact, she signs each of her pieces, “Love, Allison Strine.” Love her positivity!
As a big fan of typography and hand lettering, I find Allison’s work irresistible. She’s like Jessie Hartland, Maira Kalman, and Linzie Hunter rolled into one. So fun!
Allison grew up in a 270-year-old farmhouse north of Boston, Massachusetts, and essentially considers herself a Bostonian, even though she’s lived in the Atlanta area for over two decades. She also did graduate studies at the Savannah College of Art and Design.