Anne Osborne’s Fruit Art Is Making a Splash

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If you’re connected to Anne Osborne on Facebook, chances are you’ve seen in your news feed her wonderful, playful fruit art installments involving apples, bananas, nectarines, persimmons and many other fruits along with miniature figurines. Using clever arrangements, puns and plays on words—sometimes quotes—the author of Fruitarianism: The Path to Paradise has amassed a collection of more than 40 fruit art installments, which she photographs and shares on Facebook, since February 2014. One popular fruit art installment features three women pushing lawnmowers over three peaches. The caption might make you smile or laugh—and then click Facebook’s “like” and “share” buttons before chiming in on a fun discussion to show your appreciation.

Raw Food Diet Helps Inspire Anne Osborne’s Fruit Art

Raw vegan since 1990 and almost strictly fruitarian, meaning she consumes almost entirely fruit in her diet, Anne said she is attracted to showcasing fruit in her artwork. She said she is drawn to and “continually inspired by” the vibrant colors and unique patterns of the fruits that grow around her residence. “I feel that being on a raw fruit diet really helps to connect one with nature and the natural rhythms and patterns of life, and there seems to be a flow and joy to creativity that enhances any branch of the arts,” she said. “I believe that the food we put into our bodies changes our energy and vibrations so that this will, in turn, change and affect the way we express ourselves and what we create.”

Self-Taught in Art, Anne Osborne Reveals Fruit Art Creation Process

Anne told me via email that she has no formal training in art. At 14, she was presented with the option to study art or physics in high school, and although she loved art, she picked physics. Since making this choice, Anne has had no art lessons. Just like with an artist in any medium, Anne sometimes is struck by inspiration and, other times, invests time into thinking of ideas and developing them in creating her fruit art. Anne’s 10-year-old son, Cappi, has toys such as Legos that Anne has created fruit art with, but she finds special appreciation for making use of the figurines spotlighted in her latest collection. She owns about 180 figures, which range in age and occupations but include dancers, divers, golfers, monks, painters, police officers, road workers, sailors, skiers and swimmers. Gardeners, sunbathers and animals are in her collection, too. “Using the tiny model railway figures really allows me to take closeup pictures, which show a different aspect of the fruits,” she said. “There is also such a diverse range of these figures available that there are opportunities for many different themes and scenarios.”

Playing with Food Gives Rise to Fruit Art

Anne said she finds joy in adding to her collection used in creating her fruit art. She obtains her pieces from model railway stores and said eBay and other online sellers offer more. “I do wish there was a better representation of ethnical and racial diversity, though,” she said. Anne’s recent fruit art installments have no working title, but the FruitGod.com publisher said she is considering creating a book on them as well as her wildly colorful fruit plates, featuring the sun, moon, living creatures and even cultural icons such as Super Mario, Winnie-the-Pooh and Bart and Lisa Simpson. View a wall of dozens of them on Facebook. “I have much fun creating this art, and I think it can help to show the beauty, patterns and colours of fruit,” she said. “Also, I would hope my work appeals to children and encourages a love and appreciation of fruit. I certainly think it is a good idea to play with your food!”