Spotlight On Luke Boyd

Spotlight on Luke Boyd

Learn more about the Athens-based artist who creates art around baking as a form of queer expression and desire.

By Kaylee Duff

Cake decorating fun!

Name: Luke Boyd

Age: 26

Medium: Frosting, cake, acrylic paint

Kaylee: Why is creating art meaningful and important to you?

Luke: Art is important and meaningful to me because it is how I share fulfillment and love with others. I am interested in fostering shared human experience and building community. Art is a way for me to connect with people of different backgrounds.

I recently did a cake decorating activity with an LGBTQ after-school program called PRISM here in Athens. The cake decorating fostered a fun and creative environment for local youth.

Baking and painting exist in my life as a form of queer expression. They are outlets for me to be absolutely flamboyant and over-the-top. I can spend hours embellishing a cake with some frosting and my pastry bag.

Kaylee: Who or what inspires your art?

Luke: I am inspired by the work of Wayne Thiebaud. His paintings are incredibly rich in color and texture. His application of paint mimics that of frosting spread on a cake. The paintings are decadent and look very appetizing. I am also inspired by bakeries. I always try to visit a new bakery whenever I travel. I love seeing how tradition, technique and culture take form in an edible work of art.

"Red Glaze"

Kaylee: How did you get started? What was your beginning?

Luke: I first started painting and baking with my grandmothers and my mom at a very young age. I got to help make my siblings’ birthday cakes. I always enjoyed making desserts because they were the celebratory culmination to the meal or party. It was in high school that I decided to pursue art. I took summer school to make room for art classes in my schedule.

I apprenticed with a German bakery during my undergraduate education at California State University Bakersfield. I loved learning how to make cakes, pastries, and breads.

I left my position at the German bakery in 2016 to pursue my graduate degree in painting and drawing here at Ohio University. It was during the fall of 2018 when I was feeling lonely and that I decided that I needed to paint something that would make me happy. I decided upon baked goods as a subject matter because they remind me of my connections with family and friends.

Kaylee: What sort of steps are you taking now to grow your career as an artist?

Kaylee: I am finishing up my last semester of grad school here at OU. I am pursuing baking and cake decorating after graduation. I am excited to spend my days baking and painting. I am enjoying the chance to work on commissions here in Athens. This sometimes involves working on something a little different or out of the ordinary. I am always excited to work with other people and bring their vision to life.

Some of the current projects in Luke's studio.

Kaylee: Do you have a favorite memory or show?

Luke: One of my favorite shows was “Cake” at the Trisolini Gallery in Athens, Ohio. I spent almost a month piping frosting all over the floor and all over the walls in the space. I mopped the floor with vanilla to make sure that the space smelled decadent. I baked tons of cake for the reception which became a huge part of the installation. The installation paralleled desire for desserts alongside sexual desire.

Kaylee: If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would you choose?

Luke: If I could only eat one meal for the rest of my life, I would choose breakfast. I love oatmeal, french toast, breakfast burritos and coffee. I enjoy eating a big meal to start my day.

Check out more of Luke’s art at lukejboyd.com, and follow him on Instagram @lucalisboyd!