(On Painting Bananas as Humans) "That Kind of Kept the Idea Open of Humor and Art": David Molesky, Oil Painter, on Humor in Contemporary Art & SPRING/BREAK Art Show
Download MP3In this episode of The Truth In This Art, I sit down with David Molesky — oil painter, former art journalist, and figurative artist whose work moves between organic abstraction and mythological figuration, using humor, symbolism, and turbulent natural forces to examine masculinity and the human experience.
About David Molesky: Molesky's introduction to art began through drawing at his family's home in Northwest DC, where discovering his father's portfolio in the basement sparked something that never left. His path moved through post-impressionism, large-scale expressionistic figurative work, classical painting, and art journalism, including writing published in Juxtapoz and Fine Art Connoisseur, before landing where he is now — painting bananas as human figures in North Carolina.
His banana series has become a signature body of work, blending rigorous technical painting with humor and expansive association. At SPRING/BREAK Art Show, his banana whale paintings sold out. He is currently working on more than fifty paintings, with ideas that keep piling up — bananas holding skulls, close-up portrait formats focused on peel and hand gesture articulation, and everyday scenarios where the banana stands in for the human figure.
Molesky talks about why humor has been largely absent from serious figurative painting, how the whimsical character of his adopted hometown shaped his work, and what it means to be serious about your craft without taking yourself too seriously.
He also has an upcoming show at Green Hill Art Center in Greensboro, opening February 24th, with a talk on March 24th, running through April 10th.
Find David Molesky on Instagram at @moleskystudio and at moleskystudio.com
Photo credit: Courtesy of the subject.
About David Molesky: Molesky's introduction to art began through drawing at his family's home in Northwest DC, where discovering his father's portfolio in the basement sparked something that never left. His path moved through post-impressionism, large-scale expressionistic figurative work, classical painting, and art journalism, including writing published in Juxtapoz and Fine Art Connoisseur, before landing where he is now — painting bananas as human figures in North Carolina.
His banana series has become a signature body of work, blending rigorous technical painting with humor and expansive association. At SPRING/BREAK Art Show, his banana whale paintings sold out. He is currently working on more than fifty paintings, with ideas that keep piling up — bananas holding skulls, close-up portrait formats focused on peel and hand gesture articulation, and everyday scenarios where the banana stands in for the human figure.
Molesky talks about why humor has been largely absent from serious figurative painting, how the whimsical character of his adopted hometown shaped his work, and what it means to be serious about your craft without taking yourself too seriously.
He also has an upcoming show at Green Hill Art Center in Greensboro, opening February 24th, with a talk on March 24th, running through April 10th.
Find David Molesky on Instagram at @moleskystudio and at moleskystudio.com
Photo credit: Courtesy of the subject.
The Truth In This Art is supported by William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, the Maryland State Arts Council's Creativity Grant and Mayor's Individual Artist Award - Creative Baltimore Fund (Baltimore).
Host: Rob Lee
Music: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis.
Production:
- Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel Alexis
- Edited by Daniel Alexis
- Show Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and Transistor
Photos:
- Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.
- Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.
Support the podcast
- The Truth In This Art Podcast Fractured Atlas (Fundraising): https://www.fracturedatlas.org
- The Truth In This Art Podcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetruthinthisart.bsky.social
- The Truth In This Art Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthinthisart/?hl=en
- The Truth In This Art Podcast Website: https://www.thetruthinthisart.com/
- The Truth In This Art Podcast Shop: Merch from Redbubble
Creators and Guests
Host
Rob Lee
The Truth In This Art is an interview series featuring artists, entrepreneurs and tastemakers in & around Baltimore.
Guest
David Molesky
is an oil painter whose work navigates the terrain between organic abstraction, often inspired by turbulent natural forces, and figurative painting rooted in mythology.
