Jay Stoneking: Cherry Blossom Bruises
March 5-28, 2026
First Thursday Art Walk - Thursday, March 5th, 5-8PM
Closing Reception / Artist Talk - Saturday, March 28th, 2-4PM
Minimalist landscapes set with delicate botanical installations reflect the double layered grief of personal loss and political violence against transgender Americans.
Fluffy cloudscapes in soft pinks and powder blues call to quiet mornings watching a loved one die in slow motion. Over time they blossom into light bruises, reflecting a double layered grief peering into violence against transgender bodies reflected in American politics. In these clouds are both the gentle breeze of spring, and threats of a thunderous storm ahead.
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Trump began his second term with a direct attack on the legal and medical safety of transgender Americans as one of the very first acts of his administration, the day he took office. Over the course of the year we saw 616 anti-LGBT+ bills across the country, many directly targeting us, at both a national and state level. While coming to terms with this abuse by the American government I lost a close family member, Eliza, to her journey with cancer.
In an outpouring of personal grief and anger at this violence towards me and my communities, I started this new series of paintings. These works are part grief as a place, part documentation of abuse of the American trans community in soft cloudscapes as bruises.
Alongside these paintings are two installations:
🌸 First, a community altar dedicated to the collective beauty of my extended trans community. Offerings of flowers, incense, candles, and small works of art in the colors of the trans flag are welcome.
🌸 Second, a botanical installation in memorial of Eliza. Featuring flowers and organic material collected over many years living with her then carefully dried and arranged into color fields, this installation is a tender expression of loss. Cherry blossoms were her favorite flower and spring was her favorite season.