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Gallery: Beasts of Burden
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A family photograph of my great uncle as an infant, propped up on a pony, inspired on ongoing series of paintings and drawings titled, Beasts of Burden. Much as I imagined the pony must have felt, plodding each day through city streets so parents could pay for a photo of their child on her back, I found myself feeling trapped and overburdened by the physical and mental load of caring for my children while working full-time. Ironically, the COVID-19 pandemic, while bringing much of the world to a standstill, has brought the unacknowledged work and overwork of mothers to the forefront. Mothers often carry the majority of both the child-rearing and household obligations, whether or not they work outside the home. Similarly, in this body of work mute animals silently fulfill their duties with babies and toddlers on their backs. Media: carbon on canvas. Dimensions range from 48 x 60 inches to 60 x 72 inches.