Kerry Samantha Boyes is opening a shop packed with the most mouth-watering-looking cakes, pies, jellies and other goodies that you can imagine.
None are edible, yet they are in huge demand.
Her ice cream cones recently featured prominently in the beach party scene near the start of the blockbuster Barbie movie.
Disney are customers, as are the Guggenheim Museum, The Royal Worcester Museum, The National Trust for Scotland, Jo Malone, The Royal Lyceum Theatre, Netflix, Heinz and countless others.
Now, for the first time, Kerry is inviting the public into her studio in Kirkcudbright where she works with her daughter Primrose.
Together they are creating the UK’s first, Fake Food Store – complete with Victorian counters and display cupboards – as part of this year’s Spring Fling.
Spring Fling, from 25-27 May, is Scotland’s premier open studios weekend with a record 104 participants taking part across Dumfries and Galloway.
Kerry, whose studio overlooks Kirkcudbright’s fishing harbour, started her business on her kitchen table during lockdown, and was partly inspired by a classic book.
She said: “I had bought a copy of Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management and loved the lithographs of all the dishes she made – I thought it would be fun to see if I could recreate some of them.
“Then I was looking at similar things online and thought that perhaps I could make things and sell them. I started a little online store and the orders just started to come in. And they were from all over the world.”
Shops, stately homes, museums, restaurants, theme parks and many other businesses all find her fake food irresistible. And it’s increasingly popular with the public too – making quirky and attractive home decorations.
Customers have wanted everything from roast goose, peacock pies, and many historical dishes for banquets, to full Scottish breakfasts (in the frying pan) and even a jelly with a replica gun inside for a party thrown by the makers of hit series The Gentlemen.
Theatres have asked for items like breads, made of foam, that actors can hurl on
stage without injuring anyone.
Kerry was amply qualified to make fake food.
She said: “I’ve spent many years creating replicas. I began my career on Hadrian’s Wall,
making facsimiles of Roman altar stones and painting frescos for the Vindolanda Museum.
“I went on to study museums and work for English Heritage caring for their collection. Later I moved to Edinburgh and worked in stone conservation before starting a family.
“Then I trained in taxidermy, so I was familiar with creating work that looked very lifelike. At one point I created a tea party where the fake food had elements of songbirds and roadkill.”
Elsewhere Spring Fling visitors can see everything from paintings, sculptures, photography and original prints to metalwork, furniture, jewellery and textiles.
The weekend is a chance to meet artists and makers working in a remarkable array of studios from farmhouses to painted caravans and explore one of Scotland’s loveliest rural regions.
Joanna Jones, Upland Assistant Director, said: “Kerry’s fake food shop really underlines what an astonishing range of artists and makers we have here in Dumfries and Galloway.
“This year will be the biggest ever Spring Fling, so it’s a great chance to meet even more of these remarkable people and see the contemporary art and craft they create.”
Spring Fling has arranged bus tours to give visitors the chance to studios in more remote locations – including some of the new studios. They are a chance to relax, let someone else do the driving, meet new people. Places can be booked online.
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Notes for editors
About Spring Fling
- Spring Fling made its name a Scotland’s premier visual art and contemporary craft open studios event covering all Dumfries and Galloway, South West Scotland. It is the flagship annual event of Upland CIC.
- For further details visit www.spring-fling.co.uk or contact [email protected]
- For the full list of participating studios visit www.spring-fling.co.uk.
- Brochures can be ordered from the website and will be available in April.
- Spring Fling is pleased to once again have the support from Dumfries & Galloway Council as one of the region’s Signature Events.
- The open studios event also plays an important role in supporting artists and makers who are often working in remote areas – and contributes significantly to the region’s economy.
- Since its conception, Spring Fling has attracted around 174,000 visitors who have made over 546,000 studio visits.
- In 21 years over £10.2 million has been spent in the studios and the event has brought over £17.5 million for the region’s economy.
- Visitors will be able to follow six colour-coded routes taking them round studios in different parts of the region.
- Some studios will have special evening openings and there will be other attractions like walking and bus tours and, demonstrations on the lead up to the event.
About Upland
Upland CIC (Community Interest Company) supports artists and makers based in, and with connections to, the region. It delivers, events, training, networking, support and opportunities as part of a year-round programme to benefit the region, its artists, communities and economy. Upland CIC runs the annual Spring Fling contemporary visual art and craft open studios weekend in Dumfries and Galloway. It will work closely with other arts bodies in the region to further-strengthen the sector. Upland is based at Gracefield Arts Centre in Dumfries and exists to:
- produce and deliver festivals, events, and experimental projects of the highest quality
- nurture an environment where artistic excellence thrives and grows
- inspire and educate a wide range of audiences, customers and clients to understand, celebrate, be actively engaged in and supportive of visual art and craft practice
- raise the profile of visual artists and makers locally, nationally and internationally fulfilling a crucial role in the culture and tourism of Dumfries and Galloway
- build strategic partnerships at regional, national and international level
- maintain a financially sound and adaptively resilient organisation
- work to the benefit the local economy and the sustainability of local communities.
Its funders are Creative Scotland, D&G Council, The Holywood Trust, The Barfill Trust.
About Creative Scotland
Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland on behalf of everyone who lives, works or visits here. We enable people and organisations to work in and experience the arts, screen and creative industries in Scotland by helping others to develop great ideas and bring them to life. We distribute funding provided by the Scottish Government and the National Lottery. For further information about Creative Scotland please visit www.creativescotland.com. Follow us @creativescots and www.facebook.com/CreativeScotland.
For media information contact Matthew Shelley on 07786 704299 or at [email protected] or call Upland on 01387 213 218.