If you've ever lived in the American South, you've probably eaten at a Waffle House, or at least driven by one—they seem to be on every corner! As an homage to the famous eatery that's open 24/7 and always ready to serve you hashbrowns scattered, smothered, covered, chunked, diced, peppered, capped, topped, and/or country (here's a handy guide to all of the ways you can order hashbrowns at Waffle House), Pineville, Louisiana (my hometown!) artist Matt Dawson recently created this painting, which he calls "Starry Waffles." It's in the style of Van Gogh's Starry Night, but features a Waffle House, with its lights on, beckoning you to come in from the cold and enjoy a hot meal, and maybe a catchy song on the jukebox. Fox35 Orlando provides some details of Dawson's project:
Louisiana artist Matt Dawson came up with this modern take on Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night painting and posted it on social media. It even got the attention of the official Waffle House Instagram page, which left a heart-eyes emoji in the comments under the photo.
Fox35 Orlando spoke with Dawson and found out more about why the Waffle House has been so inspirational for his art:
Dawson told FOX 35 that the Waffle House has inspired many of his paintings for a very special reason.
"I love the Waffle House. I used to take my wife to a doctor in New Orleans when she was sick and every time on the way back we'd stop at the Waffle House in Sorrento, Louisiana," Dawson said. "In addition to the tip, I'd put 5 bucks in the juke box for the server for her favorite artist. I just loved the memories there."
Over the years, Dawson has painted a few Waffle House pieces and said they resonated with people. So this time, he really wanted to have some fun and "show the magic that I see when I see the Waffle House."
If you want to see more of Dawson's art, check out his Etsy page, where you can also purchase his work.