ink, marker, colored pencil; 20×16″
“We live in a world where people are treated differently because of their gender. Since I was young, I’ve always been told to not cry that others have it worse and I should be grateful for what I have so it really hurts when I see anyone especially younger kids being taught to repress their emotions. Everyone should be allowed to express their emotion in a healthy way despite their gender, and no one should be taught otherwise. For my piece I drew a picture of a little boy stepping on a pile of worms. The boy is supposed to represent toxic masculinity and the worms the people/communities affected by toxic masculinity. I made the boy’s expression mostly neutral and on the younger side to show that while he doesn’t know what he’s doing is wrong yet he’s still actively participating. I used mostly warm colors to light the piece, which come from the worms, and cooler colors, mostly blues, for the shadows. I used very vibrant colors that contrast with each other to make the worms and boy stand out I used a mostly dry marker to color the back which gave it a bit of a rain texture.”
ARTIST BIO: Geny Gallardo Peralta is a grade 11 student at Butler Tech School of Art studying art under art teacher Mary Catherine Ruby.