Reflection

Reflection

Since I was little, I have been visiting the mountains of Blue Ridge, GA. Some of my first memories of nature come from sitting by a campfire nestled within the ancient hills and watching the dancing flames turn to smoke that drifted up and faded into the night sky. Even today, looking up and seeing the Milky Way peeking out behind thousands of shining stars, I still feel that same sense of wonder and awe in nature that I felt as a young girl. I chose to create this piece to represent these feelings of fascination that a simple campfire evokes in me, and to illustrate the simple yet powerful ways of connecting to nature. To create this piece, I drew inspiration from photos I had taken over the years of my campfire in Blue Ridge. I often work with mixed media when creating art, but this was my first time working with beads and found items. While the process was time-consuming and frustrating at times, I found the final product to be extremely rewarding. I feel the intricate details of the piece encourage the viewer to draw closer and examine carefully, something that I have done with the real Blue Ridge campfire. I also chose to add childhood toys, like plastic dinosaurs, to create a sense of nostalgia and whimsy within the piece. I love creating art because it gives me the opportunity to be creative and exercise my brain in new and unique ways. My overall message to viewers through this piece is that the profound beauty of nature can be enjoyed in very simple ways. We all connect with nature in some way throughout our lives, and it's important to slow down and appreciate it and what it means in our lives.