What inspired this artwork?
I thought of the saying about seeing through rose-colored glasses. Many people choose to see a clean, pretty world, when in reality it’s not. To convey that idea, I thought it would be effective to show myself taking a selfie, where I see myself in a beautiful landscape against a backdrop of trash in a landfill.
What is the artwork’s title?
The title is Convenience Versus Reality. It may be more convenient for people to avoid thinking about Earth-friendly actions like recycling, but the reality of that convenience, as you can see from the landfill, is truly harmful to the planet and everyone who lives on it.
What materials did you use?
I used a combination of painting and collage. I collaged the background and the little picture on the phone, and I painted myself so I would be the main focus. The collage adds texture but doesn’t compete with the painted figure.
What was your working process?
First I sketched my idea in pencil. I took some pictures of myself in this pose, and then I drew the outline of my figure on the canvas. I found pictures of landfills for the collage and used Mod Podge to attach them to the canvas. Then I started painting. When I was done painting, I covered everything with another layer of Mod Podge. Adding this top layer helped seal and hold the collage together.
What was your biggest challenge?
I struggled to get the skin tone and lighting to look realistic. The light is coming from the left, and I had a lot of difficulty shading the hand and fingers to convey that. It took a lot of blending to get everything just right.
Do you have advice for aspiring artists like yourself?
Don’t get frustrated if things don’t look the way you want them to at first. Work through it and keep on going. You’ll experience a feeling of satisfaction that you never would have if you’d given up.