CA N VA S


MILKY WAY PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER BOFFOLI


Where you and I might see a teacup or hot dog, Seattle-based photographer Christopher Boffoli sees a workplace and playground. His international award- winning series, Big Appetites, features a universe of tiny people living in a giant world of food. In Boffoli’s world there are tiny climbers on walls of rock candy, motorcycle daredevils jumping cheesecake, ice cream cones turned into tipis, and even


canoeists on lakes of milk. Captions deepen the story behind each photo, in this case: “Janet was one of those people who would use absolutely any excuse to stop paddling.” Making this particular photo presented its own challenges. “I generally try to avoid liquids and melting things,” says Boffoli, “there’s so much cheating in


food photography, but everything in my photos is real.” Photographing milk required working quickly. This was shot on his kitchen’s marble counter. The Big Appetite series has been exhibited in more than 100 countries. “Whether you eat with a fork, chopsticks or your hands, everyone understands


food,” Boffoli says. The decision to turn photography from passion project to career followed a devastating accident on Washington’s 14,000-foot Mount Rainier more than


10 years ago. Twelve weeks later, recovering with a broken leg and ankle, Boffoli found himself back underneath fluorescent lights at his desk job, looking out at the mountains. “I asked myself, what am I doing here? So I took a creative sabbatical.” He hasn’t looked back. While people are often delighted by the humorous juxtaposition of his images, there’s a subversive message as well, one of a nation with a complex


relationship to food. “There are entire TV networks engaging with our eyes but not out stomachs,” says Boffoli. “As a culture, we’re not cooking very often; many meals are eaten on the go in cars, or are reheated processed foods at home.” While Boffoli had previously purchased his tiny figures from model building suppliers, today he 3D prints them, and then meticulously hand paints each figure. “It’s a tedious process,” he laughs, “I won’t even make my assistants do it.” See more of the series at www.bigappetites.net.—Kaydi Pyette


This article first appeared in the 2016 Paddling Buyer’s Guide. 24 PADDLING MAGAZINE


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86