For Issue 20 “Combo,” Alyssa Young created a series focused on food memories and nostalgia for lost youth.
Alyssa, who is from Long Beach, CA, has been creating for her whole life. While in college, she dove into acrylic painting and mixed media, eventually starting her own art business, Mama’s House, to share her art and inspirations.
Her love for vibrant colors comes through with her recent collection, My Nostalgia, which she talks about in detail in our newest issue.
For Issue 20, I’d like to welcome you to my collection titled, My Nostalgia, that is made up of 3-pieces made with acrylic paint.
The collection began with a piece titled “A Deconstructed Cheeseburger.” This piece started as a tribute to my favorite show, Bob’s Burgers. In the show’s restaurant, there is a mini deconstructed cheeseburger on their wall that I fell in love with, so I just had to create my own with all of my favorite burger toppings.
After this piece was made, I felt a strong connection to my youth, and the late weekend lunches we had at places like Red Robin and Fuddruckers. Their burgers were iconic, but what was even more iconic were the milkshakes and onion rings.
So, next came my piece “Chocolate Milkshake” with a delicious whipped cream swirl topped with a cherry and sprinkles. You can see the chocolate drips that let you know a milkshake was made from scratch.
Lastly, my piece “Tower of Onion Rings” came naturally. This depicts a moment in time frozen in motion. A tower of onion rings was the perfect pair for a special meal after a long day in the sun or tournament with not only my teammates, but my friends and family.
My Nostalgia was not only a perfect combo meal, but a combo of things that bring me joy now, and things that brought me joy as I grew up. When I completed these pieces, I realized they all were pieces of my childhood that I missed so much.
Having spent a year in quarantine with my thoughts at home, I have had time to reflect and see where I have come from. This is a piece of my personal history, and I hope you enjoy getting to a peak into what resembles a piece of my youth.
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