A catalog of my White Album series of pastels and drawings.

The White Album series is literally a labor of love, twenty years in the making. A quirky "photo-realism" album of my three teenagers, it is foremost a portrait of adolescence. My youngest son is just entering his turbulent teens; middle-child daughter a promising artist at 18-going-on-28; the eldest son, now an adult of 20, started his college career at Kent State University, Ohio.

I was on the threshold of my own teen years when the Beatles were the soundtrack for the hippie era. This work draws parallels between then and now, and highlights the universal, eternal character of coming of age. I have attempted to explore the similarities of each generation, despite contemporary sensibilities and recent advances in technology.

A fellow artist recently noted, "We paint to deal with life." These candid "snapshots" are one way I've found to cope with the process of letting go that all parents must make. They document my children's progress during this transitional time in their lives. Thanks to them, I am still learning.

With loving gratitude to my husband, Steve. “All you need is love!”


Alice McMahon, 2009