Mike Geno welcomed me into his second-floor studio at the factory-bricked Viking Mill building on the far fringes of the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia. He asked if I was comfortable as he threw open one of the oversized wooden windows letting the morning air take over.
I found it somewhat challenging to concentrate on conducting this interview for PA Eats for two reasons.
First, I was starving. It was early morning and I wanted to beat traffic, so I hadn’t eaten breakfast. Who does that when interviewing an artist in a gallery lined with paintings of bacon, breads, doughnuts, sushi, candy bars and wedge after ubiquitous wedge of cheese? Apparently I do.
Second, I am familiar with Mike Geno’s work from magazines, foodie blogs, his website and, most recently, his popular Instagram feed. I am enamored of his talent and, (almost) more importantly, his passion for food. I was a little intimidated and, quite frankly, star-struck.
Mike sat relaxed ever-so-slightly in his throne-like vintage chair as he shared a brief quip about the time he asked a store clerk for a particular chunk of cheese he wanted to paint. “How do you get the paint to stick?” the clerk blurted without blinking. The story made both of us laugh and lightened the mood in the large-yet-intimate studio.
It was difficult to believe that when he was a young man, Mike’s mother always encouraged him to be creative; however, he didn’t have access to a single art class during his Catholic school upbringing in Northeast Philadelphia. Eventually, through a palette of select college courses and a few particularly persistent mentors, the artist’s passion to sketch and paint caught fire. Landscapes, toys, sock monkeys and eventually food and his uber-popular cheeses found their oil-brushed paths to the panel with ardour.
Today, Mike Geno precisely captures the essence of food. Textures, colors, perspective and intensity fill his head organically. He averages about 20–25 hours of painting a week and almost always finishes his vision within one sitting. “I have to do it all at once because the food’s properties change as it warms up. And I like to keep my color palette consistent. I’m absolute about color,” he punctuated while continuing to discuss his love of “color theory” as if it were the crowning touch of drizzled honey over a fine Brie.
While the interview continued, I tried to disguise my grumbling stomach. I noticed behind Mike the stunning color and light that made me want to pluck from the wall his framed Lawrenceville Jack and pair it with a sprite Pinot Noir or a crisp tannic cider. Names like Winnimere, Manchego and Huckleberry Blue were everywhere in this prolific space.
I asked Mike who buys his art and who is his audience? “My patrons aren’t necessarily art collectors really. They’re lovers of food,” he delivered. “They respond to art that they’ve never really seen done like this before.”
And this is art. Successful art. New York Times, Esquire, Culture Magazine, name-dropping Craig LaBan of Philadelphia Inquirer wants to interview you about your art. Mike remains non-pretentious about it though and smiled, “I get to eat what I paint. Most times. And I love the challenge of doing something that’s not been done before. From anyone else, and more importantly from myself.”
He currently relishes teaching classes nearby at Temple’s Tyler School of Art. “I never thought I’d teach, but when I see how students react when I talk to them, not at them, it makes it worthwhile. As a student myself, I was always the one who wanted to know why something was done a certain way. Not a lot of teachers give you that answer. At least not when I was in school.”
In addition to teaching, Mike’s future consists of painting and conducting gallery showings. He’s also currently working with Cheese Board wines from California to produce artwork on their bottles using his cheese images. Talk about a pairing made in heaven. He also enjoys dining at new, as well as old, favorite spots throughout the city with good friends on a regular basis. “Food is and always has been a part of how I like to communicate with people,” he said earnestly.
As we wrapped up our conversation with talk of music, Canadian politics, junk food and the power of social media, I scanned the walls of the studio one final time and realized that this tasteful art truly is a way to speak to others. And Mike Geno has a real grasp, a creative clutch, on exactly how to accomplish that.
Mike Geno’s art can be purchased online.
- Mike Geno photo: Jessica Kourkounis
- Brushes photo: Ed Williams
- Cheese painting photos: Mike Geno
