(not my soup can ^ just a depiction)
I did a sketch of a Campbell's Tomato Soup can in high school (oh, man, I wish I knew where it was!) and I was pretty proud of the result. My high school art teacher, Mrs. Turner, was inspiring. She was the first teacher that ever took me seriously as an artist, who challenged me, and who made me feel like I might actually have some talent. And, yes, the soup can had a lot to do with that. (I didn't think I actually had a future in art, though, until college, but that's a story for another day.)
Anywho, later I did a small oil painting of a tomato soup can in college (on display in my parents'
Though my soup cans were nothing like Warhol's, I felt a kind of connection to him through the subject, both from recreating the iconic cans in my own medium and style, and because they were a part of my daily life (well, maybe not daily, but I do love me some tomato soup).
He passed away in 1987, when I was child, so everything I ever knew of him was in the past; and yet this thing, this soup can, was there on the shelf at the grocery store, in my pantry, in my bowl.
(btw if you've never seen the films I Shot Andy Warhol or Basquiat, watch both of them for the portrayals of Andy. David Bowie as Warhol in Basquiat is particularly fabulous.)
Anyway, all this is why I was elated when Target was carrying the special edition Andy Warhol soup cans back in September. Our Target was almost sold out by the time I got there, but I managed to snag one of each of the designs.
Aren't they super fun?? The use of color just makes me smile.
While they were just totally awesome in their real, 3-D form, I knew I needed to do something not involving the soup itself if I wanted these to last longer than a year or two. So, as sad as I was to do it, I removed the labels from the cans (and ate the soup - yum!), and made my own Homage to Warhol Pop Art:
I found a white frame with a multi-slot mat from Michael's and just mounted the labels behind the mat openings. I made sure to tape them in place with acid-free tape so they wouldn't droop or sag. Easy!
The hardest part was arranging and rearranging the labels until I had them in the order I wanted.
This collection makes me smile every time I see it.
Cheers, Andy, from depressionist-era Pittsburgh. Your iconic imagery of iconic imagery gave you your 15 minutes of fame forever.
(psst... Young House Love showed a cute DIY project keeping the cans intact here)
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