Elizabeth Winnel’s recent still life paintings mark an evolution from her earlier explorations of the body through her iconic lip series. While those works investigated expression, identity, and the cultural construction of beauty, her current focus turns toward fruit as a metaphor for the body itself.

Rendered in sensuous detail, these oil paintings depict fruit in various states of ripeness and decay. Their luscious surfaces invite desire while simultaneously provoking discomfort. The tension between appeal and deterioration mirrors the human condition: our striving for perfection within the limits of an organic, aging body.

By presenting fruit that is overripe, dripping, or beginning to rot, Winnel continues her examination of how beauty, value, and vitality are defined. Her work resists idealization and instead embraces the imperfect, the transient, and the deeply human qualities found within both flesh and fruit.