Raising Renee: Paintings
by Beverly McIver

Whether focusing on herself or the complexities of family relationships, Beverly McIver's bold and colorful paintings express the raw emotion that often accompanies such introspective investigation. Raising Renee features a series of portraits of the artist's developmentally disabled sister, a longtime subject of her work. From the early 1990s to the present, these paintings chronicle the complicated nature of the artist's unique bond with her older sibling. Poignant portrayals of Renee in a variety of situations and emotional states, these paintings are also windows into the artist's own identity as they reflect the often conflicting feelings she has experienced over time first as Renee's sister and now as her caretaker. Alternately joyful and melancholy, these forthright works transcend the personal to touch upon universal themes of identity, otherness, and individuality.

Beverly McIver is a 2005-06 Edward E. Elson artist-in-residence. Both the exhibition and residency have been funded by the Edward. E. Elson Artist-in-Residence Fund.