So Sweet Berry

A green cap hugs a heart-shaped strawberry in this acrylic painting on plywood by Ruby C. Williams (1930-). The self-taught artist also farms in Bealsville, Florida, an area known for its strawberries. The ripe, red fruit nearly crowds out its description, “so sweet berry,” painted in black on a bright orange square. Its black seeds verge on three-dimensional. The natural world and love are among the themes that Williams explores in her work, which emerged from making roadside signs to sell her home-grown produce. Her paintings were featured in the Anacostia Community Museum’s exhibition, On Their Own: Selected Works by Self-Taught African American Artists (2005).