In Sculpture World, She’s The Big Cheese

Michelangelo molded famous statues from marble. Picasso was known to carve in clay.

Sculptor Sarah Kaufmann’s preferred medium is a firm young cheddar.

Dubbed “The Cheese Lady,” Kaufmann, 58, sculpts with, in the words of author Clifton Fadiman, “milk’s leap toward immortality.” Her subjects — from an 1,800-pound, life-size astronaut holding a “Man on the Moon” baby Swiss to murals she’s carving locally today and Sunday — grace trade shows, food and wine festivals, sporting events and state fairs.

Kaufmann will whittle away at two 300-pound Wisconsin cheddar wheels at two Chula Vista Henry’s Farmers Markets celebrating their 20th anniversaries. From the rounds, measuring 22 inches thick and 22 inches in diameter, she’ll create 2-D cheese murals that include the store logo and a shopping scene with customers.

To read the rest of the rest of the story, please go to: Sign On San Diego.