In exploring all things flour, katherine sandoz teams up with an art historian and a sequential artist. We’re not surprised to be served a flowery dose of King Arthur and not a little medieval parlance.
Sandoz paints on flour packaging an ode to John Collier‘s 1900 work titled “Queen Guinevere’s Maying“. Collier’s painting depicts Queen Guinevere, the legendary queen and “consort” of King Arthur, in a procession on a May day. The elegant composition and Arthurian narrative is emblematic of Collier’s Pre-Raphaelite style and the movement’s fascination with medieval culture.
The pre-Raphaelites were not alone. Founded in Boston in 1790, King Arthur Flour, whose mission initially sprang from virtues outlined in the Arthurian code of honor, strives to provide pure and high-quality flour for the residents of their kingdom. As the royal flour company knows, all fair products are wrought from fair ingredients. King Arthur Flour is milled from wheat sourced exclusively from their own realm, North America. The company remains chaste to bleaching agents, bromation and GMO’s truly making it the Holy Grail of flours.
Collier and other colleagues of the school found inspiration in nature and considered its presence the crown jewel in their art. This respect and adoration of Mother Earth is also found in the court of King Arthur Flour. The company is an advocate for sustainable living and the flour monarchy’s stewardship team devotes itself to environmental sustainability inside and outside their territory. They currently have projects ranging from recycling enhancement to composting programs in an effort to reduce energy use.Bringing many products to round tables national and international, they offer a variety of flours ranging in protein content, 8.5% to 14%, as well as gluten-free and 100% organic. They are consistent and stay true to their values – reportedly unlike dear Guinevere.
“queen guinevere flour”, katherine sandoz with peyton gardner & charlie davenport, mixed media on flour “sack”, june 2014
This and other works by katherine sandoz available for purchase HERE.
