THE UNCOMMON FLY
“EVEN THE SMALLEST INSECT HAS THE RIGHT TO LIVE AND FLOURISH,” - DALAI LAMA
Stephen Shooster, aka Shoosty, presents “The Uncommon Fly” (2023) at the Shoosty Bugs exhibition in Daytona’s Museum of Arts and Sci- ences, a 36” x 36” vector art piece on 18mm silk twill with a 1:1 aspect ratio. This work transforms the com- mon household fly—often a nuisance linked to disease—into a whimsical marvel. With a lifespan of just 30 days once it can fly, the insect’s sole purpose is to mate, a fleeting, almost jovial mission. Shoosty captures this essence with vibrant, swirling pat- terns in greens and blues, set against a soft floral backdrop. The fly’s “crazy eyes”—spiraled, hypnotic, and over- sized—lend a playful, mischievous charm, embodying the fun of this tiny
creature that morphs from a slug-like larva into a winged marvel, darting as fast as a blink. The silk medium, paired with vector precision, amplifies the fly’s delicate yet dynamic nature, reflecting Shoosty’s Chromatic Fu - sionism, which blends the science of art with a fusion of civilizations. Flies have long appeared in art, often symbolizing decay, as in Dutch Gold- en Age still lives by artists like Pieter Claesz, where they hinted at mortality amidst opulence. Shoosty, however, re-imagines the fly with a lighthearted twist, akin to Claesz’s symbolic depth but with a modern, vibrant flair.
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