Faculty of Art

Drawing and Painting

Lilly Mia Black

Paternal Instinct of Her Sons

Surreal figurative narrative based on the role that a son naturally adapts to in order to take care of his ill mother.

“This work is about the result of financial stress on a young boy who lives in Scarborough, Ontario. I believe that there is more than one reason as to why a young man will become involved in unlawful activity. Sometimes he chases the fast life because he is constantly hearing about a new bill payment that needs to be paid. Perhaps the wifi shut off, the water in the tap stopped running, the lights went out. What if he chases the fast life because his mother is ill with brain cancer and can not take care of herself anymore?In this piece we see three figures, masked, they appear to be staring ominously at the viewer. These boys clearly hold power and presence. If you saw them on the street perhaps you would walk in the opposite direction in order to avoid them. Overlaid on top of this image we see a couch and several decorative picture frames with “live, laugh, love” attached to them. The juxtaposition of what you may see on the outside; young men who appear unapproachable, vs. what they go home to; a home decorated lovingly by a mothers hand. On the news we see stories of young boys doing criminal things and it makes you wonder “Where are their parents?”. Not every story is the same but within my experience I have seen what is behind the ski mask of a young boy. I have seen the why of what he does and I have been affected by the result of his actions. I’ve seen the stories on the news but instead of wondering where their parents are I ask, “what are they experiencing that has forced them to choose this life?”. ”