“Fruity has a precise meaning, but is difficult to define. Loosely speaking, the word refers to something which is cheerfully and perkily saccharine, naïve, generic, corny, banal, innocuous, un-self-consciously dippy, sexually neutered (or, conversely, having perverse subtexts), or just plain dumb – and is amusing because of it.” – Urban Dictionary

Clevedon based artist Katie Blundell’s work is an extension of self, containing thoughts and ideas in relationship to the world around her. Influenced by abstract expressionism and theorist Carl Jung’s concept of the ‘collective unconscious’, Katie’s work is approachable because it works with common thoughts and feelings related to being human.

“As a gay artist, being fruity is a key part of who I am. It’s my history. I was born on a fruit orchard. It’s how my Dad peeled apples, and how I now open cans of fruit salad for my children. It’s partying at bars with drag queens wearing fruit on their heads! Let’s be honest, I think I am a wee bit flamboyant!”

Blundell is a multimedia artist with a Master of Fine Arts (Hons) in printmaking. All of her work, no matter the medium, is informed by process. It starts with the idea, before finding the medium to match it. The work is spontaneous, letting chance and creativity work together to create the final outcome.

“When I was younger, I thought that I would never paint still life – it is boring. But the thing about fruit is they say so many different things all at once. Richly symbolic, they talk about being human, sexuality, temptation, and they truly appreciate mortality. Like all of us, fruits are unique.”