Maxwell Schultz is an all-around creative person. When he’s not working, he’s painting on smooth river rocks that he collects during his bike rides near the Willamette River, or making pen and ink sketches in a notebook he keeps handy. When he is working, he has a piping bag in his hand, creating lush, swirling designs on the cookie cakes at the Safeway on 18th Avenue and Oak Street.
Today, Schultz is working on an Eugene-themed cake. After rounding out a bulging belly on one of his characters, he switches colors, delicately piping grey hair onto an older hippie woman. Green ferns, brown tree branches, and pink and purple flowers populate the background, creating a bright, eye-catching gem that will surely attract attention on the grocery store shelf.
Shultz’s intricate work has earned him a following, both in store and online, as an artist whose work Eugeneans admire … and want to eat. For Schultz, cake decorating is just the most recent endeavor in a long artistic career.
Always an artist
Schultz grew up in the suburbs of south central Illinois. He remembers the first art form he loved was drawing under the table with crayons. He moved on to pencil and paper, and tried to replicate his favorite pop culture icons in his art…