fruity: The Sweetness of Self-Discovery
Artist Statement This body of work is a personal and visual exploration of identity, transformation, and acceptance through the metaphor of fruit. Combining painting, printmaking, fibers, and stitched elements, I delve into the complexities of my own queerness—an identity I have only recently come to fully embrace. "Being Fruity" is both a nod to the historical use of fruit as a symbol for queerness and an honest reflection on my own late-in-life journey toward self-understanding. For centuries, the phrase "being fruity" has carried a certain subversive and playful connotation within queer culture, often used to describe an individual's queerness or gender nonconformity. In my work, fruit becomes a metaphor for the nuances of queerness, representing the layers of growth, ripeness, and vulnerability. Just as fruit must ripen over time, so too has my understanding of myself and my place in the world, revealing the sweetness that comes with self-acceptance, though never without its bittersweet moments. This show is not only an exploration of queerness but also an invitation to viewers to reflect on their own processes of growth and discovery. I have invited my students to add their own fruit themed artwork to this exhibition. As an educator we bear fruit in our students passing on our skills to the next generation. The students here represents twenty three years teaching high school, and three different colleges. There tags indicate when they were my student. Ultimately, "Being Fruity" is a celebration—of queerness, of identity, of becoming whole, and of legacy. It is a recognition that growth, no matter how long or complicated, is a beautiful thing. |
Wet Series
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