Ernie Button Cerealism - Ernie Button

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Cerealism

Type:: Cerealism

Art is shaped by a person’s life experiences and I am no different. When I was a youngster, cereal was a luxury item. A brand name cereal was a rarity in our house as they were consistently more expensive. Something like King Vitamin (a popular 70’s cereal) or Cap’n Crunch made for pure breakfast heaven as a child. On a recent trip to the grocery store, there sat King Vitamin next to a new version of Cap’n Crunch, Choco Donuts. Looking at the rest of the cereal aisle, it is clear that breakfast cereal has changed from mere nutrition to sheer entertainment. The cereal aisle has become a cornucopia of vibrantly colored marshmallows that resemble people and objects and characters from movies, as if they were calling out to have their portraits taken, to be the center of attention. However, on the other side of the aisle sits the more ‘adult’ cereals (i.e. fiber, bran). Having lived in Arizona for over 35 years, those cereals upon close inspection resemble some of the shapes and colors and textures of the southwestern desert. I began to construct landscapes that would utilize the natural earth tones of certain cereals. I placed enlarged photographs of actual Arizona skies in the background of the cereal landscapes giving the final image an odd sense of reality.

I took a few years off from the world of Cerealism to pursue other photography projects. As I’ve gotten older, I still find breakfast cereal fascinating on a visual level even though I don’t eat as much cereal as I used to. Cereal provides me with the perfect vehicle to examine some of what it is that people eat and derive joy from: is it food, is it entertainment, is it nourishment, is it really a dessert or is it all of the above? From the frosting-like coating that covers the marshmallows to the brightly colored cereals that turn milk a variety of pastel hues other than white, it is apparent that cereal is not just for breakfast anymore. Cereal has evolved into pop culture objects instead of just nutritious corn pops.

Ernie Button

Green four-leaf clover-shaped candy piece.
Rolling hay bales against a sunset sky.
Bales of hay on a sunny landscape.
Gingerbread man-shaped snack or cookie.
Bits Of Magritte
Single pink question mark on brown background.
Floating orange snack against a dark background.
Glass bowl with red and blue beads on a wooden surface.
Miniature pyramids on a textured surface under a cloudy sky.
A single round cereal piece with a hole in the center.
A small skull illuminated inside a dark, cave-like space.
Close-up of small green clovers on grass under a blue sky.
Close-up of green plants on grass under a dramatic orange sky.
Silhouette of a star-shaped object against a blue gradient background.
Blue and yellow crocheted fish-shaped object.
Close-up of popcorn on a string with a glowing light in the background.
Close-up of glowing green bioluminescent organisms in dark water.
Close-up of a red raspberry with detailed texture.
Macro image of small, fuzzy flowers with red centers on thin stems.
A green, four-leaf clover-shaped cookie.
Close-up of broccoli florets on a textured brown surface with a blurred blue background.
Stacks of golden coins with turquoise gems scattered around.
A single popcorn kernel illuminated against a blurred green background.
A mound of brown gravel against a dramatic cloudy sky.
Close-up of a pile of brown grains under a twilight sky.
Close-up of a sandy surface with a colorful sunset sky.
A rocky hill glows under a dramatic sunset sky.
Sunset sky with dark clouds above a rocky hill.
A close-up of a small mound of sand under a dramatic cloudy sky.
A stepped pyramid under a dramatic sunset sky.
A small jellyfish with red and yellow hues floats in clear blue water.
Pink cookie shaped like a skull with blue eyes.
Close-up of blue lettuce pieces floating against a blue background.
Close-up of microscopic cells or organisms under a blue light.
Silhouettes of fish swimming in a blue underwater scene.
Silhouette of a bowl of cooked beans with a spoon against a warm background.
Close-up image of a fiery eye.
Two textured, rectangular sculptures with intricate patterns against a purple background.
A small broccoli plant growing from soil against a colorful sky.
A pyramid made of hay bales under a blue sky with a cloud.
A mechanical device holding a magnifying glass enlarges a small object.
A single red and yellow puffed snack isolated on white.
Green star-shaped object with a rough texture on a red background.
A lone round bush silhouetted against a fiery sunset sky.
A close-up of a lizard blending with a rocky surface under a moody sky.
A pile of large round hay bales under a dark blue sky.
A glowing yellow starfish on the ocean floor under blue light.
Close-up of dry desert ground with scattered cactus spines at sunset.
Small plants sprouting from sandy soil under a cloudy sky.
A colorful red and green piece of candy or snack.
A red, hexagonal, crunchy snack with holes.