I had been considering several new images for projects that offered a more buoyant feel when, in the autumn of 2004, I was invited to participate in a show entitled “The Artful Table”, curated on the subject of food and dining. Inspired by my love for butter, cooking with wine, kitchen candor, and Julia, I developed this image. Both memorial and celebration it serves as the transition piece I had been looking for; a loving tribute to a great artist of the kitchen, and of life.