Fuck You
Hidden in Plain Sight Series
2024
This piece encodes the phrase “fuck you” using the international maritime signal flag system, translating a blunt, emotionally charged statement into a structured visual language that is widely recognized but rarely understood.
I made this while living in Hampton Roads, Virginia, where military presence is part of the background noise—boats moving through the water daily behind my house, TAPS on bugle heard playing from a nearby base in the evenings, and jet noise so common that it’s the punchline of popular bumper stickers in the area. Virginia Beach leans conservative, and my views didn’t always fit neatly into that environment. That disconnect sits underneath the work.
The sentiment itself began as humor. The phrase is blunt. The delivery is not. But it also carries something more personal.
These were the last words I ever said to my father. We were no contact for thirteen years, after his absence for the vast majority of my life, before he died of cancer. I didn’t find out until three months after he was gone.
That context is not visible in the flags. It isn’t explained. But it exists within the work, shaping both its origin and its reception.
Nothing about the message is hidden.
Most people just don’t know how to read it.
Context
Fuck You is the first piece in Hidden in Plain Sight, marking the beginning of an ongoing exploration of coded language, environment, and the need to communicate indirectly.
What began as an experiment in learning digital art became the foundation for a larger body of work centered on visibility, translation, and meaning.
Process
Digital watercolor illustration created using licensed photographic reference imagery.
Developed on iPad using Procreate, with a focus on capturing fabric movement and natural light as a way to build technical skill through repetition and constraint.
Collect This Piece
If you want to live with this piece, it’s available as a physical print, something you can actually hang, not just scroll past.
These are the messages that don’t need to be shouted to be understood.
“Fuck You,” spelled in maritime signal flags, clear if you know the code, invisible if you don’t. A quiet kind of defiance. The kind that doesn’t ask for permission.
This design was one of my best-selling pieces at in-person markets—something people stopped for, read twice, and decided they needed on their wall.
Printed as part of my market-era collection, this 8x10 piece reflects a phase where my work lived in public spaces— tables, conversations, eye contact. I’m stepping away from that format, which means this batch is being released online as a limited run.
Same message. Same weight. Different chapter.
Once these are gone, this version won’t be restocked.
Features:
Includes Nautical Alphabet Key — Comes with a reference chart so you can decode the message and share it with others
8x10 Ready-to-Frame Print — Standard sizing for easy framing or display right out of the package
Part of the Nautical Signal Print series — collect multiple