Mom on Oxygen

This empathetic painting of the artist's mother emerged at a critical juncture in McIver's stylistic development and personal experience. She grew up in a poor part of town but went to school with middle-class white children, adapting herself to their values and culture. In much of her early work she questioned fixed identity and dealt with painful racial stereotypes. Here McIver confronted the reality of an aging mother and the impact her death would have on the family. McIver fulfilled a promise to her mother to care for her older mentally-disabled sister Renee. This was a huge adjustment for both sisters but after a time, Renee gained more independence through her sister's support. McIver reflected on the experience in a 2011 catalogue, saying, "Both Renee and I are reinventing ourselves. And life is good."