A few years ago, Jelly Belly officially hired painter and illustrator Kristen Cumings to produce several works of art to add to their collection entitled Jelly Belly Masterpieces of Confectionary Art. The California-based painter takes about 50-60 hours to complete the life-size paintings made of approximately 9,000 to 12,000 jelly beans each. The enormous 4 x 6 feet murals each depict a classic work of art, from Vincent can Gogh's The Starry Night to Johannes Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring.
The artist's process involves spray adhesives to initially stick the beans to the canvas and then coating the finished product in acrylic for protection. The intricate detail and blend of colors in each piece is brilliantly executed. Cumings is clearly an expert at work. Her keen eye has an unmatched grasp of jelly bean color configuration that adds shade, tone, and definition impeccably. It's hard to believe that she not only manages to recreate these works but has done so in front of a live audience.
