As my son reached the end of his seventh year I became more attentive to his changing awareness of the world beyond himself. According to Canon Law, this is the age at which children attain the ability to reason and have moral responsibility. By his eighth year he began to navigate the world in his own way and started to examine the concepts of death, betrayal, and the complexity of being human.

I noticed a loss of innocence during this ‘Age of Reason.’ When I talked to other parents of children around the same age, I began to realize how critical a turning point this is not only for the child but for the parents too.

I explore this familial transformation utilizing inspiration from The Braque Family Triptych, a religious altarpiece, to look at the shift in domestic connections. I create portraits using contemporary families with a child who is coming of age.

The children wear a red piece of clothing as a metaphor for their familial relationship. Each child holds their favorite toy from childhood, some more closely than others, representing their readiness or hesitancy to accept their entry into the next phase of life.

The parents express their own desire to hold on, let go, or assist their child with tools they think they will need as they mature into adulthood. These are symbolized by objects such as a book for knowledge, a dog for loyalty, and a pair of owls for wisdom.