Come to the Table

This Monday evening, January 14, you are invited to a visual and culinary feast.  Places are laid for 30 people to come to the table at Flatbed for this unique pairing of artist Jeff Scott and chef John Bates..

About the art: Experiencing Jeff Scott's new photo-polymer gravures seems to spur and sharpen our senses and observations in a way we don't expect. The exhibition now showing at Flatbed, "Evidence of Obsession," is a sampling from 50 works created at Flatbed in 2010. Images of these works were used in his book, Notes from a Kitchen: A Journey Inside Culinary Obsession, which was awarded the James Beard award for photography in 2011.  All these unique works are now available for collectors.

The content and method used to create these works stress the obsession of both the artist and the chefs.  We see obsession in the notes, the push for perfection, the constant searching and tweaking. 
Scott deconstructed conversations and interviews with the chefs finding phrases that captured the moment. Using these phrases as word images, he layered the words much like a layered dish presents separate and compatible taste and textures to create an overall content/taste/experience.  Working with Master Printers Tracy Mayrello and Katherine Brimberry he transformed the photographic images and word images using multiple processes of printmaking.  In the finished works, we take in the phrases with glimpses of notebooks, menus.  We find order amid a chaos of information acquired over a lifetime.

About the meal:  Austin chef, John Bates, is conjuring up a seven course tasting dinner and he promises to do this with a few surprises.  Bates is the co-owner and chef of the Noble Pig which is well known for their high-quality ingredients – including select local and sustainable items – and a practical, crafted approach to making good, satisfying food.   Prior to launching the Noble Pig in September 2010, John was involved with two well-known Austin restaurants as executive chef for 2 ½ years at Asti, and as a sous chef at Wink in the two years prior to his time at Asti. John attended culinary school at Del Mar College in his native Corpus Christi, graduating in 2000, and credits his work in a variety of restaurants since 1991 in helping him to refine his culinary skills and define his approach.

A place at the table of this event comes with a signed copy of Notes from a Kitchen. This is a two-volume book with over 1,000 photographs and in-depth interviews with highly innovative chefs including Sean Brock.   In order to place a reservation email:  Flatbed Press.  

More information can be found at:  Invitation to the Evidence of Obsession event.