Reflection

Reflection

My water story will always reflect back to my childhood playing by the beach. Making sandcastles with a plastic bucket and shovel is one of my favorite memories. After learning about plastics and their effect on our ocean today, I have a new view of plastic and the ocean. This artwork is something I want people to see and relate to. It is filled with paintings of our everyday childhood toys; from rubber duckies, sand toys to a barbie doll. These plastic toys that once gave us joy have become a nightmare to our environment and specifically to our ocean today. First, to create these toys, we need factories. During the manufacturing process, the water is polluted through chemicals, and gases are released into our air. As carbon dioxide levels in our atmosphere increase, the temperature rises, in turn causing water to rise. But it doesn't end there: The plastic products that were made for our convenience take up to 500 years to decompose. These plastics also end up in our ocean, affecting marine mammals and fish. Although we have caused climate change, we are also the agents of change for a better future.