Kathy Vargas

Masks Children Wear
This series proceeds from the Innocent Age series, and considers what we call/nickname children, sometimes without thinking. Those identities we bestow may force them to don masks. Vampire is for the needy child, seemingly sucking the life out of his parents with the desire for attention. I showed this image to a friend, and she said ‘that’s how my son feels about his kids. He loves them but wants them to leave him alone so he can go into his studio and compose music.’ So who is at fault, the needy child or the busy parent?
The Fool is called stupid, maybe because his grades are low, maybe because he doesn’t always grasp a concept quickly. Told he’ll never amount to anything; will he believe that negative image of himself and stop trying? The words we use are potent. One night, in the middle of a busy Target store, I heard a mother calling her child “gordo” over and over. Searching for him, she yelled it out for all to hear. No wonder he was hiding from her.
Even the class clown may sometimes feel that he must perform for whatever love he receives.