Jewells - A Project Of Both Art & Food
Jewells is a farm to table restaurant, and part of the Chefs Warehouse group of Restaurants founded by Liam Tomlin.
Liam asked me not only to come up with a logo for the Charcuterie part of the business, but also to paint for the interior of the restaurant, which you’ll find it at the Spice Route near Paarl in the magnificent Cape Winelands. Across the road is Charles Backs’ prized red Angus herd, a sounder of swine (had to look that up) and some finely grown organic vegetables. Only the very best of what is locally available goes into the food created here.
The chef Neil Jewells is the real deal, he rolls his sleeves up, and rarely leaves the kitchen. His wife Tina is a pastry chef extraordinaire - she can make bread, the best bread in the world.
The project started with 2 photographic shoots across the road at the farm. Gathering reference imagery is hugely important to me, shooting real references gives the project authenticity.
There is nothing better than creating some fine art for use as a business tool. Loving craft more than anything else, we started with a Lino cut of a breeding sow. To add some charm, we removed an ear - a kind of donation to a tasty dish. Additionally, with a bandaged ear, one is reminded of the portrait of Vincent Van Gogh in the same position. The success of the Lino cut led us to create 2 more, one sheep and one Angus cow.
The Red Angus painting is 2600mm x 1000mm, while the pig portrait is 1600mm x 900mm. They both hang in Jewells, along with a few etchings, portraits and charcoal drawings, and all for sale. I quote from an essay by Hayden Proud, Curator of Historical Collections of Painting and Sculpture, Department of Exhibitions and Research, Iziko Museums of South Africa:
“Paces’ two very large horizontal oil paintings of cattle and pigs. Painted as pendants to each other, they are now installed in the interior setting of Jewells Restaurant in Paarl. Each presents these animals set in a wide landscape that is clearly inspired by the panoramic enhancements possible in digital photography. A near-far spatial dynamic is established by the positioning of the respective animals as either heads seen in close-up or as full-bodied in the distance. The paintings create a specific focus in each dining area, and allude to sunlit, wide-open spaces beyond the narrower confines of the restaurant’s walls”.
Do your taste buds as well as your eyes a favour and pop out for a Saturday or Sunday lunch and sit out over looking the country side. It’s a winner of a view with the finest food to match.
