ink; 20×16”
“Many children grow up with no idea where they’ll live or who they’ll live with, that’s why I chose to center my piece around areas in need of improvement in the foster care system. I chose to depict three birds perched out of place at the mouth of a cave, facing away from a large bear. Stretching back into the cave is a trail of egg shells. I kept the piece entirely in ink to evoke the feeling of vintage children book illustrations. I wanted the feel that the three birds representing foster children were in danger. The bear is meant to be like the dangerous households some foster children are put in, with several species of bears being natural predators of birds. The eggs are meant to represent how long the issue has been going on. A system that has the potential to completely change the direction and quality of a child’s life needs to listen to said children. Any children suffering through their supposed fresh start is too many. I am in no way attempting to devalue the system that has given so many children a fresh start with loving homes. However, with the sheer amount of people hurt by the system and put in unsafe environments, it’s a system that needs to be improved.”
ARTIST BIO: Starlit Parish is a grade 12 student at Butler Tech School of Art studying art under art teacher Mary Catherine Ruby.