Aug 29, 2025
a small portrait of my dad on his john deere, mowing the lawn in the midwest. (2025 Flory Gessner)
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from France
seen from Canada
seen from Malaysia
seen from Singapore
seen from Malaysia
seen from Malaysia
seen from Belgium
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seen from Malaysia
seen from China
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from Türkiye
seen from Malaysia
seen from China
seen from Malaysia
a small portrait of my dad on his john deere, mowing the lawn in the midwest. (2025 Flory Gessner)
These images are part of a WIP that reflects on the mundane beauty of my bus commute in East Baltimore. I'm not sure where this is going, if these will turn into paintings, a flip book, a video/short film or if they will stay private, but here is the raw data/material.
This job ends in approximately one month, so about one more season/light/clothing change will be documented. December 2024-2025 on a Street in East Baltimore under a train-bearing bridge, GAIN and AGAIN.
Work in progress image, 2025
Layers and layers of fabric and paint go into the final image. I like to use fabric with history and a relationship to the body. Many of the fabric scraps come from masks I made for loved ones during the pandemic. Other scraps come from tailoring clothes to my body so they show the curves and shapes of my form. I am especially drawn to illustrations on fabric that recall girlhood, transformation, and the natural world.
Work in progress: acrylic paint and fabric on canvas.
Portrait of a knitter (Flory Gessner 2025)
An early experiment with fabric and acrylic paint on canvas.
Flory Gessner 2025
Self-portrait after a gender-affirming cut and color (Acrylic on canvas)
Flory Gessner 2025.
Portrait of the artist after getting a gender-affirming haircut. (acrylic) Flory Gessner 2025
I think we can all agree haircuts and color are gender-affirming care. This is a self-portrait of a moment of gender-affirmation following a hair makeover by one of my sisters. Sometimes even conversations and reference photos can help us find words and feel seen by others. The final result can give us joy and a sense of self that lasts for months and beyond.
I love using self-portrait as a means of checking in with myself.
Yarn balls and crane wives (fabric, acrylic paint on canvas.) Flory Gessner, 2025 (11inX14in)
A fever dream of "women's work," girlhood, folklore, and floral growth on canvas. Fabric from clothing that felt affirming at different points in transition interspersed with questions of girlhood and art vs. craft.