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Advice to Parents

What new parent hasn't been annoyed by helpful strangers' or relatives' endless suggestions on childrearing, comments like "I never had these problems with my children," or the cold stares of couples at restaurants while trying to eat with boisterous offspring? These semi-transparent acrylic paintings on collage incorporate a wide range of sources-advertising, books, and art historical images as the backdrop for raising children in contemporary culture. Many of the paintings feature text from annoying, ridiculous and just plain stupid advice about childrearing. "How to Parent" instructions, both current and historic, range from those written by behavioral psychologists (like Toilet Training in Less than a Day) to those that advocate other simplified or inappropriate responses to the myriad complexities of raising children ("your toddler is just like a neanderthal..." from The Happiest Toddler on the Block). Themes of the work include gender stereotypes, nourishment, development and caretaking, and the impossible promises made by advertising. Intimate perspectives of children from the perspective of the caretaker are painted over a literal and figurative background of cultural paradigms for parenting, the ground within which and in reaction to parents must raise children. These paintings continue the artist's explorations of the experience of parenting, combining images in surprising ways to create a wry and sly commentary on the conflicting demands made of modern parents.

"Boys Will Be Boys"

"Communicates with Gestures and Grunts"

"Select Toys That Stimulate"

"Superb Uplift"