The Little Being and His Ghosts

This is The Little Being and His Ghosts, a composition in graphite pencil, ink pen, and acrylic paint, created for the Day of the Dead, on a multi-medium board measuring 11.5 x 16.5 inches.

I was inspired by this sentence from a San Antonio novel: “(Grandfather) died early and miserably after ruining everyone, leaving behind a bawdy and poisonous legend that would haunt the Little Boy for the rest of his life. Knowing he was descended from such a grandfather troubled him. He understood that such a man would disturb the blood of his descendants for generations and create dubious obligations that he would have to fulfill.”

These unknown ancestors, who had a decisive influence on the personality of their descendants—traits, trauma, inclinations, rigidities, fears—transmitted through generations to the parents and becoming a fatal flaw for the child, are these ghosts that survive and perpetuate their designs in the actions and gestures of their earthly existence.

The androgynous figure in this image feels drawn into this ancestral determinism, but the path before him invites him to break free.

This artwork is available; contact me if you are interested.