Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Gum blondes

Toronto artist Jason Kronenwald really likes to chew on his work

By JENNIFER HARDENNE

It sounds as though it could be the punchline to a bad dumb-blonde joke: Toronto-based artist Jason Kronenwald creates portraits of blonde-haired beauties out of chewed gum. No kidding.

Visitors to his website (http://www.gumblondes.com) can view a gallery of his handiwork, which includes renderings of iconic women such as Brigitte Bardot, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Britney Spears. Ms. Spears appears to be a favourite subject — four out of the 10 images on display depict the pouty-lipped pop princess, and he admits to digging her new single, Toxic.

Portraits of Ms. Spears’s ex, Justin Timberlake, Marilyn Monroe, whom Mr. Kronenwald calls a "classic gum blonde," and Paris Hilton are also in the works.

Each work consists entirely of chewed gum mounted on plywood. No paints or dyes are used, and the colour-blending takes place inside the mouth by chewing the gum. Each portrait takes roughly 40 hours to complete. The toughest part, according to Mr. Kronenwald, is the manipulation of the gum. "It’s a lot of hand work."

When asked what inspired him to start making portraits out of chewed gum, Mr. Kronenwald explains that "gum is very skin-like to me."

Raised in Ancaster, Ont., Mr. Kronenwald wanted to make art even as a small child. "I used to do pencil drawings of my favourite celebrities. I even have a drawing I did of Corey Hart that he autographed." He studied fine arts at Queen’s University in Kingston, completing his first Gum Blonde portrait in 1996 (he graduated the next year).

Although he hasn’t yet done any commissions, he says that "if the right opportunity came around, it would be a lot of fun."

As for the gum chewing, Mr. Kronenwald doesn’t do much of it himself, preferring to leave it to family and friends. "When my brother comes over, he chews a lot of Bubble Tape. It’s great." It turns out that Bubble Tape and Trident are his two favourite brands to work with, although Black Jack is his favourite chew ("it’s black-licorice flavoured").

Trident’s recent discontinuation of its cappuccino flavour, however, was a real blow. "There’s no other colour like it."