Picture Us in the Light

Art as process and expression is an important motif in Picture Us in the Light. Danny’s art is synonymous with his ability to deal with his emotions. When he goes through a rut with his art, he finds his inner conflicts to be conflated and more stressful. For Danny, art is the best way he can be in touch with his emotions—particularly, his fear (as represented by Mr. X, the racist white man who harassed his child self) and guilt (as represented by Sandra, his former friend who died by suicide). He is proud of his completed works because they represent his process. In art, process and product are equally important. Through art, Danny doesn’t need to worry about saying the right thing at the right time; he doesn’t have to strive for perfection. His art is a process of revising his message and thoughts whenever he needs to. This type of revision is rarely practiced in life outside of art, but it is inherently important to Danny’s coming-of-age story in which he discovers that life is more complicated and without solutions than he had hoped. Art also brings him closer to his family, because it is through his mother’s portrait that he tracks down Joy Ballard, his long-lost sister.