Fragile/Doris (Growing Up Working Class series) 2021

mixed media 16 x 12 in.

back story: My mother Doris Cousins, was one of six siblings, she had four brothers and a younger sister. She was of German/Irish descent. Her grandparents  and parents were factory workers in the Ironbound District of Newark. As an adult she was remained deeply affected by the poverty she experienced as a child, especially the Great Depression. She was also impacted by issues of family mental illness, three of her sibilings were alcoholic and one of her brothers tried to kill her mother. She never sought help and became more fragile and was unable to cope with life well. After my father died, she moved to a Section Eight apartment in Freehold, NJ where she remained for over twenty years.

(artist's private collection)