Reflection

Reflection

While discussing my piece with a friend, I mentioned: “I can always make the water dirtier, but not cleaner.” Though I had been referring to my painting, I realized that statement not only applied to my art, but to oceans around us. My art teacher says the key when painting with watercolor is to keep your water clean. If it’s old and muddy from all the paint, the water will dirty the colors and ruin the picture. Much like using watercolor, we must remain mindful in keeping our oceans clean. Water pervades everything, and we must prevent the dirty and polluted water from destroying the greatest masterpiece of life. For this piece, I was inspired to tackle the issue of plastic pollution. As our world grows increasingly modernized, we’ve begun to prioritize convenience. From plastic takeout boxes to bottles we can just grab off the shelf, many of us choose the efficient or easy route, without much thought to how it affects ecosystems beyond us. With places like the Pacific garbage patch hundreds of miles away, it’s easy to live in blissful ignorance of the impact we’ve had on the environment. Through my art, I wanted to emphasize that while we are the cause of pollution, we are also the ones who can stop it. From what we purchase to what we eat, we have to be conscious of the choices we make what is viewed as a convenience now, can be a catastrophe in the future.