Noah Verrier was always drawn to art, even before he knew what it meant to him.
The artist, who has been garnering attention for his still-life oil paintings of everyday objects, from vases to McDonald’s Happy Meals, told People magazine that his love of art began at a young age.
“I’ve been drawing ever since I was a child. I wasn’t from an artistic family, but I remember being intrigued every time I saw a painting. My mother was taking art classes at university, and I saw them on TV and got interested. I thought, maybe I could do it, and maybe I could be good at it. So I started practicing drawing at an early age and fell in love.”
Noah took art classes in high school and enjoyed spending his free time with art rather than socializing or other hobbies.
“Bob Ross was on TV at the time. I don’t paint landscapes, but I always watched it. In fact, I tried to learn anything I could from anyone at the time, so there is one painting I copied from the show.”
Noah’s interest in art has been one of exploration and enjoyment in a variety of mediums for many years, but it wasn’t until college that Noah began to dabble in oil painting.
“I started by thinking for myself. At university, the emphasis is on finding your subject and building a portfolio. Just like in any field, it’s about consistency and you need to demonstrate your skills to get work,” he recalls, eventually settling on “street scene.”
Noah moved on to painting landscapes and still lifes and discovered the work of Édouard Manet, a 19th century French modernist painter known for his still lifes.
“My art teacher, Mark, who was probably the biggest influence on me getting into still life painting, introduced me to him. His ‘Last Flowers’ paintings have an incredible story to tell. He was on his deathbed, his eyesight was failing and he was nearing the end of his career as a painter. People sent him these flowers and he painted them. It’s such a beautiful story and you can see it in this series of paintings and I was really moved by it.”
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Noah began creating still life paintings, starting with small panels.
“I painted little roses and simple flowers. Food wasn’t really the focus at the time. If I was going to sit down to paint, I was looking for something that would entertain me. I have a painting of a small bottle of Grey Goose vodka and a bowl of Goldfish crackers. No one was doing that at the time, but I was doing what came naturally to me, and I liked to paint quickly, things that I could do in a couple of hours. The more I painted, the more I thought, ‘this is interesting.'”
That’s when Noah started experimenting with combining household items with food, which he says was “probably my first glimpse of it.”
Noah taught part-time at a few schools and worked for a while selling his own work, which he remembers as a particularly tough time.
“I never talked about how hard that part was either. I don’t talk about job hunting in any industry because it’s hard for everyone. But after I left teaching, I was able to really focus on my job and find crazy subjects.”
Noah was never a fan of social media, but after encouragement from others, he began sharing his work on Facebook.
“My work, especially the more unusual subjects, was shared on Facebook and well received. I painted local subjects like magnolias, which are common in the South, as well as other flowers. My work quickly became popular and I thought, ‘Wow, there is actually an audience here. There are people who are interested in art.'”
Noah had just gotten used to sharing his work on Facebook and Instagram when he received a message informing him that his work was going viral on Reddit, a platform he’d never heard of before.
“So I went on Reddit and found someone who was sharing my work – a sunflower in a glass, no food in it yet. I confronted him and he was like, ‘Oh, sorry, do you mind?’ I didn’t know anything about Reddit so I agreed. So I got on Reddit and started sharing my work.”
Reddit proved to be home to even more art lovers, and Noah was able to quickly sell several paintings to interested buyers.
“I woke up in the morning and one of my drawings was at the top of r/pics with millions of views. It was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a bottle of milk against a pink background. It got thousands of comments, thousands of likes, thousands of shares. People and brands started reaching out to me, so Reddit was my first big thing.”
His first brand deal was with NYX Ice Cream, which quickly exceeded his expectations.
“NYX contacted me and said, ‘We want you to do 15 paintings for our offices,’ after seeing my piles of peanut butter and jam, glasses of whiskey, and gummy bears.”
Noah was approached by artists for advice, and now that his days as a teacher were over, he shared his truth.
“I said, ‘I’m just following my instincts. I’m just sharing things here and it just blew up.’
In many cases, the artists themselves said they “couldn’t believe” the recognition they were receiving.
“It went on and on, and it happened a year, two years, three years in a row. And I’m very conservative, so I thought, ‘This is just a coincidence,’ but then a year went by, and then another year, and it worked out,” he explains. “I knew I was a good painter, and it’s not because I’m vain, it’s because I worked hard in school. I worked hard to hone my craft.”
Noah continues, “I put my all into this. I quit my job. I had responsibilities and I had to keep myself busy every day. I did what I knew how to do. I woke up every day, sat down with my sketchbook, and drew. Whatever I needed to do to keep making art every day, I did a bunch of side hustles. I stuck to an idea. Every day, every day or two, the goal was to come up with a new idea and find a way to sell it and make money from it. And it really just grew from there.”
“I didn’t expect a painting of grilled cheese to be such a big hit, but you never know what’s going to be a hit in art. It was very surprising and weird, but exciting.”
As Noah continued to explore “different concepts of food,” he became fascinated.
“I wish I could explain specifically why I’m so obsessed with food and fast food, but I just do what I find most interesting. I try to stay true to my ideas, and that doesn’t just apply to food, it applies to anything. It’s about being passionate about the things that you feel are truly connected to who you are.”
“After NYX, the first brand that reached out to us was Popeyes. Then Taco Bell reached out to us to do a project, which was amazing. Then they used Taco Bell’s art in Mean Girls.”
He continues, “You only see it for a second in the movie, but the fact that it was filmed in Regina George’s house, are you kidding me? It’s been really great working with Brando, but it was crazy because the circumstances of the movie were so much more than I expected. I was just trying to make a living working. Everything was amazing. It was all like a big surprise and a big thing for me.”
Noah credits social media for his success, saying, “It’s hard to get featured in galleries or magazines. Social media allows me to be my true self and let the world know who I am and what I create, and I think that’s really amazing.”
Achieving success and seeing his art recognized has been a meaningful process for Noah.
“For me, it taught me how to know when to make important decisions. I’m fortunate that my faith has been a big influence and support for me, but it taught me how to jump in and how to take risks.”
He continues, “Being an entrepreneur requires taking risks, and it’s the same as being an artist. I rely on my faith for guidance, but it’s important to listen to that inner voice that gives me direction and reassurance. I knew God would support me on this risky journey. He wanted me to develop my talent. I was out of control with Reddit. It’s something I can’t explain, something I can’t take credit for. Sometimes it just comes naturally.”
