Progress Report: A Flock of Concrete Blocks/Discrimination

My first Flock of Concrete Blocks is comprised of ten individual paintings that will comment on the various ways we discriminate against the physically handicapped. The paintings are in acrylic on silk, mounted on shaped panels. Three paintings are now completed.

Physically Handicapped      acrylic on silk, mounted on shaped panel     28 x 32 inches

This is the star of the series. Each painting floats two inches from the wall, so shadows of the cement blocks will be cast on the venue wall, adding another level of interest.

Avoidance     acrylic on silk, mounted on shaped panel     52 x 34 inches

When confronted with a physically handicapped person, we are sometimes guilty of avoidance. One of my best friends is wheelchair bound. I love spending time with him, but everything is a bit more complicated. If we go to an art show or the supermarket, he has to be helped into the car, and then the wheel chair has to be stowed in the trunk. My house has eight front steps, so if I invite him for dinner, there is the issue of getting him into the house. Nothing major, just an extra effort. Sometimes that small effort is enough for me to refrain from inviting my friend to a function. Avoidance.

Repulsion     acrylic on silk, mounted on shaped panel     50 x 32 inches

Sometimes the physical deformity is so great that our immediate response is repulsion. Just as we are genetically predisposed to respond positively to beauty within our own species, deviation of the norm can elicit repugnance. Once I was eating in a restaurant when a severely handicapped person was seated at a table across from me. I am ashamed to say that I literally lost my appetite. Intellectually I told myself that he was a person just like me, but physically I could not eat. My compassion could not override my repulsion. 

Below is my working sketch for this series of paintings, showing the scale with the silhouette of the man. I substituted the three concrete block sketches on the right with the first three paintings.

 Sketch for A Flock of Concrete Blocks: Discrimination     showing progress

Thank you for following my progress on this new series. I appreciate your support of my blog, and I encourage you to post comments. If you have experienced discrimination, I'd like to hear from you. Perhaps your story will become part of a series. Please visit my website at www.AddictedToWalls.com. Take care and have a prejudice-free week.