Brick Kyle is a photographer, baker, and graphic designer in Bloomington, Indiana. I met Brick when we worked together at The Owlery, a vegetarian restaurant in Bloomington, where Kyle creates fun, bright, colorful cupcakes, cookies, and other vegan desserts. “Nothing should ever be plain,” he says of his baking.

Kyle was recently featured in an art show with a series of photographs focused on food. The photos are delightfully wild and colorful, eccentric and loud. One pairs a winter squash with a rainbow of gummy bears and a bottle of Bulleit Rye whiskey. Another, titled “Spooky,” has a pile of horror books along with jack-o-lantern decorated cookies and a bottle of Aperol. Others feature a wide variety of desserts that Kyle made for the images, showing off his skill as a baker.

Kyle has experience doing portrait photography and used the free time he had during the pandemic to learn some new techniques. “I learned about harsh lighting,” he told me. “I wanted to make everything crunchy and crispy and kind of reminiscent of [a] 70’s dinner party.” The resulting images are strangely appetizing despite the unexpected food choices and brash colors.

The photos can also feel like a time capsule of the odd year that was 2020. If you can’t have a birthday party with your friends, why not spend the day baking and throw a party for a small porcelain dog, as in “Party for Jessica?” Brick Kyle offers that print for purchase, as well as several others, at brickdkyle.com.

Find him also on instagram via the following handles

General art page: heybrickkyle

Film: brickies_pickies

Normy food photography: bdk_product

Catch our conversation on the July 03, 2021 episode of Earth Eats.