Happy Birthday, Andy

Yesterday was Andy Warhol's birthday!  He would have been 85.  Anyone who knows me also knows that he is my favorite artist, forever.  After three years of teaching art appreciation and history, my love for his art and fascination with his life has grown exponentially.  On my bookshelves are countless texts chronicling his life and history books outlining his importance to the art world and the Pop Art movement.  On our fridge are a handful of Warhol art magnets and even my phone's case is a soupcan reproduction.

You can imagine my excitement last summer when it was announced that Campbell's would release a series of limited edition tomato soup cans.  The labels commemorated the 50th Anniversary of Andy's 32 Campbell's Soup Cans.  They were only sold at select Target stores and luckily the one near our apartment was one of them!  On the day they were scheduled to hit shelves, my husband (then fiance) and I went to the store when it opened to be sure and get our hands on some 75 cent cans.  I was convinced there would be a line out the door or they'd sell out in an instant...that was not the case, and months later they still had a few lingering in the display.   When I checked out, the cashier just thought I really really liked tomato soup, not realizing there was anything special about the cans.  Warhol would have loved that.  Did any of you get your hands on some commemorative cans?

The stack of cans sit on my studio desk for inspiration, with a framed note Steven wrote me when we first began dating. The label colors have definitely been an influence in the art I've created here in Texas.