CRANBROOK ACADEMY OF ART GRADUATE DREGREE EXHIBITION 2025  
GRADUATES \\ WORK \\ ABOUT \\
MELISSA
FLOYD

DEPARTMENT
PAINTING



My paintings explore themes of sexuality, aging, class, motherhood, and the male gaze. I focus on figures—primarily women—grappling with the physical and psychological challenges of balancing traditional expectations with modern identities. Through crude aesthetics and grotesque humor, I examine societal norms and personal realities, often challenging the idealized vision of suburban life and its rigid gender constructs. My work interrogates nostalgia and privilege, exposing the cracks within familiar, comfortable narratives.




Death and Taxes
Oil on canvas, 48" x 36"
Early Bird
Oil on canvas, 36" x 36"
The Good Life
Oil on canvas, 36" x 36"

Suck It Up, Buttercup
Oil on canvas, 24" x 24"