Happy 100th, Mr. Peanut!
Happy 100th Birthday, Mr. Peanut! will be making its debut at my Open Studio.
“Happy 100th Birthday, Mr. Peanut!” by Beverly Shipko, Oil on canvas, 11 x 14 inches
This was my first depiction of a relatively healthy snack in a vending machine. I deliberately chose Planters Peanuts (founded in 1906) to complement my more typical choices of M&M Mars candy bars for sentimental reasons – and I’m glad I did.
As previously mentioned in the Story Behind The Eggs, my grandfather owned a gourmet grocery store in Detroit. One of the perks was an endless supply of freebies, such as this Mr. Peanut mechanical pencil, with its pocket clip that all grocers seemed to use. Mr. Peanuts become the beloved spokesperson for the company 10 years after its inception.
Boy, did I love these pencils! As a little kid, I thought they were the cutest things ever. Apparently so did adults since my mother kept hers for over 50 years before giving it to Webmaster Laura.
As fate may have it, I started this painting for the Studio Tour last April, 2016, just as the iconic spokesperson, Mr. Peanuts, was turning 100 years old. In fact, I used the painting as a demo during last year’s Open Studio to show the process, and explain how I approach vending machine paintings.
And so it’s appropriate for several reasons that I dedicate this painting to Mr. Peanut and his 100th birthday. It’s time to celebrate. Let’s break out the peanuts!