Made by Hand
BATTER UP! Even if you don’t know Nathan Shields’ name or his Willamette connection, you’ve probably seen — and flipped over — his unusual creations.
Nathan Shields channels Walter White from the TV show “Breaking Bad.”
24
SUMMER 2015
Most portrait artists work in watercolors, acrylic or oil. But when Nathan Shields ’02 wants to create a likeness of The Beatles, Albert Einstein or Michael Jackson, he reaches for a squeeze bottle of batter. Shields serves up astonishingly detailed and realistic artwork in the form of pancakes, with his edible oeuvre ranging from fairytale princesses and “Walking Dead” zombies to insects, birds and sea creatures. What began as a fun breakfast tradition for his young son and daughter has morphed
into an Internet phenomenon, with videos of his culinary creativity attracting millions of views on YouTube and thousands of likes on Facebook. Shields, of Port Angeles, Washington, has taken his nonstick crepe pan to New York City to appear on the “Rachael Ray Show,” NBC’s “Weekend Today” and “Fox & Friends.” He’s also created art good enough to eat for Disney and IHOP social media campaigns. “I had no idea it would turn out like this,” he says. “It’s been a funny road.”