The painting "a mother’s worry" provides social commentary and insight into the challenges of the parental role when both parents do not work together to create a nurturing home. The work offers a nuanced portrayal of the human experience, focusing on the love and worry that mothers often feel for their children. The artist, Skyler, uses images, shapes, and colors to express a mother's unanchored but gnawing concern. The central figure in the painting is a mother, looking older than her years. She is positioned at the bottom right, symbolizing her role as the emotional and psychological foundation of the family.
At the top center of the painting is the son, depicted as "always in trouble," with multiple sets of handcuffs, suggesting his frequent run-ins with the law. His placement highlights the significance of his actions and their impact on the family, depicting the chaos and troubles that surround him. His positioning brings immediate attention to his presence--although he is partially cloaked by the purple swatch of color--the significance of his actions and their impact on the family are felt as the imagery around him is chaotic or dark reflecting his troubled nature and the disturbingly ubiquitous presence of his misdeeds or troubles within the family’s life.
To the top left is the father, portrayed with fearful, collapsing face and sorrowful mouth suggesting his incapability to fit into "normal" life and the damaging influence he had on the family due to his mental illness and lawlessness.
A bird at the bottom left draws the eye, perhaps symbolic of worries that take flight from her mind., but always come back to nest. Amidst colorful swirls is an enigmatic purple shape that seems to embody the tumult of emotions within the family unit. They are incapable of coming together to create a solid block.
The painting's artistic technique blends figurative and abstract components to immerse the viewer in the mother's perspective, illuminating the complex web of concerns that come with protecting one's loved ones.
